Former Super Eagles’ assistant coach, Fanny Iyakhare Amun (MON) has written a solemn and very emotional tribute in honour of late former technical director of British Council-sponsored youth development project, Community Action Through Sport (CATS), Hyacienth Chinagorom Nkwocha.
Amun’s tribute is part of a memorial magazine being put together by officials and products of Nigerian Grassroots Football Federation (NGFF), who operated CATS with structural, material and financial support from The British Council in Lagos.
Coach Hyacienth was the foundation coach of CATS from inception in 2001, and even went on to single handedly run the project after the sponsorship package ended in 2010, such that NGFF president, Alhaji Agboola Dabiri and the secretary-general, Oscar Ezinwa Emmanuel disclosed in a press release that the youth developer’s memory will last forever.
Dabiri, who has also previously served as a board member of Lagos State Football Association, chairman Lagos State Sports Council, chairman Surulere Local Government, project director of CATS as well as Lagos State commissioner for youth and social development, said everyone involved with grassroots football in Nigeria will always eulogise Coach Hyacienth.
He added after a meeting of NFF officials and former CATS’ players at his late mother’s academic institution, K. Kotun Memorial School, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos that all youngsters that passed through Coach Hyacienth are the highly-respected late tactician and tutor’s children, who he believes will never forget the major roles he played in shaping their lives.
While approving funds for the organization of a befitting one-day memorial football carnival to send the coach off into eternal glory on January 16 at NPA Sports Ground, Bode Thomas Street, as well as for a high-powered official delegation to attend the burial at Ngor-Okpala in Imo State this Friday, Agboola said nothing will be too much in honour of the late gaffer.
Consequently, all roads will lead to NPA Ground next Saturday, January 16 for the youth football fiesta that will involve eight teams in a knock-out mini-competition as well as a novelty match between CATS’ products and Surulere chapter of Nigerian Football Coaches Association.
The novelty match will be preceded by four games of the carnival competition, opening at 9am with Young Stars FC of Satellite Town taking on Team 360 of Surulere, after which the last team Coach Hyacienth handled, Lagos Tigers FC of Lekki will tango Dominion Hotspur of Surulere.
The other two matches that are expected to hold same day at same venue, all of which will be played with 20 minutes for each half and five minutes interval, are Will-B Excellence Secondary School of Ikotun versus Santana Boys FC of Ojo and CATS’ Boys against OKB FC of Ebute Metta.
Only winners of the first four games will qualify to play in the semi-finals, which will hold after a health enhancement lecture, novelty match and official launch of NGFF’s new publication, Youth Action Magazine, which will be a special edition in honour of Coach Nkwocha.
It is for the magazine that Ambassador Amun has already sent his tribute to commemorate the burial rites for the tactician who he once hobnobbed with during his days of living at Eric Moore Towers, which still stand directly opposite CATS’ former training ground at Government College Lagos (GCL) in Surulere, which happens to be Alhaji Agboola’s alma matar.
The highly acclaimed ‘Transformer of Talents,’ who shot to limelight as handler of the Japan ’93 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning that had Nwankwo Kanu, Wilson Oruma, Celestine Babayaro and others, then also won the UEFA/CAF Meridian Cup of 1997 in Portugal, recalled some happy days he had with Coach Hyacienth during his nays of living at Eric Moore Towers, directly opposite CATS’ training base at Government College Lagos in Surulere.
Amun added in his tribute titled Hycienth Has Honour In Heaven: “Death is inevitable hence it’s a price that we must pay at the appropriate hour. Hyacinth was a success story in his area of endeavour (FOOTBALL COACHING) making remarkable impact in grooming young lads of today for a greater tomorrow; nurturing them to stardom every time.
“He worked tirelessly as a transformer of youth players and his efforts made several budding talents to realise their dreams. Dear Hyacienth, I remember you as a friend, a colleague and a mentor for many young ones. Your exit might be painful, but we can’t question your Creator.
“I can only pray for the Mercy of God over your loved ones that you left behind and protection over the entire program that will be in your honor. I am further convinced that you are a hero in every standard. My prayer is for God to keep your soul in his bosom till we meet to part no more. lJN.”
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