Heartland FC Technical Manager, Emmanuel Amuneke, MFR says he still found it difficult to know the right words to put together to express his sadness over the demise of the club’s former coach, Christian Obi, Sports 247 reports.
The Owerri club’s former Chief coach died in a road accident last Friday August 23rd, 2024.
The Naze Millionaires were on their way to Abakaliki, Ebonyi State the venue of the Ifeanyi Ekwueme TICO/ SELECT Preseason Tournament when the club’s main bus was involved in a road accident at Umunna, near Okigwe LGA still in Imo state.
Though, Amuneke was meant to join the team in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State on Saturday morning to ensure other logistics were sorted before the club’s botched first game in the tournament he was very prompt to arrive at the accident scene and even coordinated the concerted efforts to keep coach Obi alive.
He also stayed throughout the whole process too at the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri till the late hours of Friday to ensure that everything was properly sorted.
Amuneke who was close to tears seeing the turn of events said he was still traumatized by the turn of events especially about the death of Coach Obi and wished he could turn back the time and avert the unfortunate incident.
The 1994 CAF Footballer of the Year said that he only has kind words and positive remarks to say about the former Flying Eagles goalkeeper whom he has had a direct working relationship with.
“Friday August 23rd was such a bad day to the club with the accident that occurred and the death of coach Obi. He was a nice person to a fault and having to describe him in the past tense now is so painful,” Amuneke told the club’s media.
“The tournament we were meant to attend to help us assess the players we have signed for the season has turned out the way it is. We cannot question God but what I can only say is that coach Obi had proved to be a good support system and one person to be relied on.
“We had a series of meetings with the Imo Government on that same Friday to ensure we fast tracked our players’ registration. He was always very supportive and offered good advice.
“I was totally devastated to receive the distress call that the club bus was involved in an accident and about the circumstances of Coach Obi. It was so unfortunate it happened the way it did but we will continue to have fond memories of him and how he has helped the club.”
Coach Obi was a member of the Nigeria U20 squad that won the bronze medal at the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship (now FIFA U20 World Cup) in the then Soviet Union, beating the host, USSR on penalties in the third place game after a goalless regulation and extra time in Moscow.
He was in goal in the third place match and his heroics in saving three of the Soviet Union team’s penalty kicks handed Nigeria a 3-1 win in the shootout.
It was Nigeria’s first ever podium finish in FIFA’s second most important tournament.
The late Obi was also part of Nigeria’s team to the Men’s football tournament of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea.
