NIGERIA CROWN

Coach Amodu Shaibu on time manages of the Nigerian Super Eagles and Technical Director of the NFF is dead.

Amodu died in Benin there days after the death of former Super Eagles Captain and Coach, Stephen Keshi, who also died in Benin.

Reports have it that Shaibu Amodu complained of chest pains on Friday night and died in his sleep.

Amodu Shuaibu who died in Benin at fifty eight years has manages a number of club sides in Nigeria, such as BCC Lions, El-Kanemi Warriors, and Shooting Stars; he also managed Orlando Pirates in South Africa.

The Edo born football tactician had coached the national team more than four different occasions.

Amodu first managed the Super Eagles in 1994.

In April 2001 Amodu was appointed coach of the Super Eagles and was sacked in February 2002.

However in April 2008 he was reappointed Coach of the Super Eagles for the second time and sacked again in February 2010.

Amodu was appointed technical director of Nigeria’s national teams in May 2013.

After Stephen Keshi in 2014 he was re-appointed for the fifth time to manage the Super Eagle.

Before Sunday Oliseh appointment agin in 2015 Amodu took over the Eagles temporarily.

At Africa Cup of Nations in Mali in 2002 the late ex Super Eagles coach, Amodu worked with Stephen Keshi as Super Eagles head coach and assistant coach.

Stephen Keshi

One of the most iconic captains of the Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, and former coach of the team, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, is dead, his family has announced.

He was 54.

Emmanuel Ado a brother to the late coach told NIGERIA CROWN the 54-year-old died of Cardiac arrest in the early hours of Wednesday, June 8.

“With thanksgiving to God, the Ogbuenyi Fredrick Keshi family of Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, announces the death of Mr. Stephen Okechukwu Chinedu Keshi,” Mr. Ado said in a statement.

He continued “Our son, brother, father, father-in-law, brother-in-law, has gone to be with his wife of 35 years (Nkem ), Mrs. Kate Keshi, who passed on on the 9th December 2015.

“Since her death, Keshi has been in mourning. He came back to Nigeria to be with her. He had planned to fly back today Wednesday, before he suffered a cardiac arrest. He has found rest.”

Though deeply mourning the shock exit, Mr. Ado said the family remained grateful to God for the life spent by the Big Boss.

Mr. Keshi had lost his wife of 35 years, Kate, to cancer last December.

Mr Keshi, popularly called the Big Boss, is the only Nigerian coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations.

He also became the second person in history to win the competition as a player and as a coach after Mahmoud El-Gohary of Egypt when he led the Super Eagles to win the tournament in 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He rose to national prominence when debuted for the Super Eagles in 1981 at age 20. The late Central Defender withdrew from the national team in 1994. He had 64 caps and scored nine goals.

As coach, he qualified an unlikely Togolese national team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany but was sacked and replaced with German Otto Pfister, just before the tournament.

He however, achieved his dream to manage a team at the World Cup when he coached the Super Eagles side to the tournament in 2014.

He is the fifth member of the glorious 1994 Super Eagles team to die, after Uche Okafor, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini and Wilfred Agbonavbare.

He is survived by four children and his mother.

RIP Big Boss

Real Madrid earned Europe's biggest club trophy for a record 11th time by defeating Atletico Madrid 5-3 on penalties as the Champions League final finished 1-1 after extra-time on Saturday.

Sergio Ramos' first-half goal was cancelled out by Yannick Carrasco in the 79th minute, but neither team could find a winner in 120 minutes.

In the shootout, Atletico's Juanfran hit the post and Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the clinching penalty for Real to secure their second Champions League title in three years, and their fifth since 1998.

Real were in control early as Gareth Bale earned a free kick on the side of the box in the sixth minute.

The Welshman played the ball into the six-yard box, where Karim Benzema and Casemiro converged to redirect the ball on target, but Jan Oblak made a point-blank save.

The play was physical from the start, though English referee Mark Clattenburg kept his cards in his pocket until Dani Carvajal forced his hand with a late tackle on Griezmann in the 11th minute.

Real Madrid were in the lead four minutes later after Bale drew another foul 35 yards from goal.

Toni Kroos sent in the free kick, Bale perfectly flicked the ball on with the top of his head, and it fell for Ramos to get the crucial touch past Oblak from close range.

Replays showed Ramos might have been offside after Bale's flick, but the goal stood for the defender's first strike in the Champions League since he equalised against Atletico in the 2014 final.