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OBITUARY

BREAKING! The Last of the Firsts; Nigeria’s oldest international footballer, Titus Okere dies

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The last of the originals, Titus Okere

BY KUNLE SOLAJA

Nigeria’s oldest former international footballer, Titus Okere has died. He was aged 94. He was a member of Nigeria’s first national team, the famed UK Tourists of 1949.

He clocked 94 last 22 March. His death this morning in Kent UK was announced this evening to Sports Village Square by his grand daughter, Frances Okere.

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Possibly his last photograph. Titus Okere with  his grand daughter, Frances and great grand son, Maxwell on 22 March, his 94th birthday.

The announcement went thus: “Good evening Kunle, I’m very sorry to tell you that my grandad died of old age this morning at his home, he will be greatly missed.

“Thank you again for highlighting all his achievements and for including him in your book.”

Until his death, he remained last point of contact for the famous 1949 UK Tourists.

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Okere, the left wing wizard of the team  who was initially projected to captain the 1949 squad, lived a quiet life in Kent, some 61km to London in the UK.

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Titus Okere, kneeling down, first on the left in the second row in a group picture the pioneer Nigerian national football team took before their training session on Everton Football ground on 31 August 1949

His 94th birthday coincided with the 43rd anniversary of Nigeria’s first victory at the Africa Cup of Nations. When the then Green Eagles lifted the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time on 22 March, 1980, it was like a divine tribute to the pioneer Nigerian left winger. He was 51 on that day.

Similarly, Joseph Meads, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) inaugural secretary who was also the convener of the 21 August 1933 meeting in which the Nigerian football body now known as NFF was founded (not 1945 as wrongly claimed), was also born on 22 March in 1907.  

He should had been 73 years; the day Nigeria beat Algeria to win the Africa Nations Cup for the first time in 1980.

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Titus Okere with his great grand children – Maxwell Okere and Sebastian Coe

Okere in 1949 was described by Edgar Kail in UK’s Daily  Graphic as having a net worth of £15,000 and a row of houses.

The Liverpool Echo edition of 1 September 1949 was astonished about the speed and brilliance of Titus Okere at the outside left and averred that given his experience, “he could find a place in most European League sides.”

Four years later, Okere found himself in the UK at the height of  winter. Since his 1953 venture abroad, he seemed to have escaped everyone’s radar.

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Sports Village Square had been in touch with the legend through his grand daughter, Frances Okere.

Having left Nigeria in February 1953 and never came back, he was believed to have passed on.

He was the first Nigerian citizen to play football abroad and registered as a professional when he signed for Swindon Town.

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Titus Okere tries his rubber boots at Swindon Town FC in February 1953

His adventure abroad after the initial UK tour of 1949 had an element of luck. He was highly rated by the British press during the UK tour of 1949 even though like most of his colleagues, he was playing barefooted.

Until now, Okere was  widely believed to have died since he never return to Nigeria since he left Nigeria in February 1953 as the country’s first ever professional footballer.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

OBITUARY

At last, Peter Fregene passes away

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Nigerian football legend, Segun Odegbami who has been at the forefront of the life-saving efforts for former Nigerian international goalkeeper, Peter Fregene, has broken the sad news of the goalkeeper.

He announced that Fregene passed on, aged 77, surrounded by his wife and two of his children.

“A few minutes ago, Peter ‘Apo’ Fregene, OLY, former goalkeeper for Nigeria’s Green Eagles, who has been on life support for the past one week, passed on to meet his creator. He died quietly in the presence of two of his children and his devoted wife, Tina,”  Odegbami wrote on Sunday.

Fregene, was a member of the Nigerian team at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. He last played for Nigeria on 13 March 1982 when Nigeria lost 3-0 to Zambia in a Group B AFCON match in Benghazi.

For years, he had been battling with illness and spent the last week on life-support.

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OBITUARY

Doyen of Morocco sports journalism, Belaid Bouimid is dead

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The Late Belaïd Bouimid

Moroccan Journalist, great expert on sports, poet with a sharp pen and above all a precursor of press cartoons in Morocco, Belaïd Bouimid passed away on Monday.

According to Moroccan publication, 360 Sport, Bouimid passed on after a long and courageous fight against illness. He was 75 years old.

He was reportedly admitted to at a clinic in Casablanca where he underwent yet another surgical operation after his health deteriorated. Belaïd Bouimid was used to getting back up. But not this time. The dean of Moroccan journalists, a true big brother to all sports journalists in the country, he passed away on Monday, September 23, 2024 at the age of 75.

Throughout his career, he distinguished himself not only through his expertise and love for sports but also through his intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness.

He was not just a journalist but a deeply cultured man, attuned to the evolving artistic, literary, and cultural landscapes. His sports analyses were often enriched with cultural references, giving him a unique and original perspective.

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His humanity, sharp mind, and insightful view of the world inspired many generations, whether in the editorial offices or the artistic circles he cherished so much.

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OBITUARY

Former AIPS-Africa president, Mitchell Obi mourns the dean of Moroccan journalists

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Late Belaid Bouimid

“Really sad. ” That was the first reaction of Mitchell Obi, the immediate past president of continental sports writing body, AIPS-Africa, after learning of the passage of Belaid Bouimid, the dean of sports journalists in Morocco.

 Continuing, Obi remarked: “The exit of a reliable and splendid voice. Unforgettable times with a friend who gave his utmost to lift the African sporting press.

“Belaid was brilliant in his communication style and he created laughter from nothing. Simple, self effacing but deeply functional.

“He remains my President and Africa will cherish the sterling contributions of one who truly launched AIPS Africa from its heritage of ASJU.

“A companion for all seasons, my tearful heart goes to the family and friends in Casablanca, Morocco and beyond.

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All that goes returns. Rest well Belaid Boumid … you left us with plenty to remember you by.”

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