Keshi goes home today
Nigeria and Africa football legend Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, who died suddenly in Benin City on Wednesday, June 8 at the age of 54, is to be buried today.
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Keshi is to be buried at his hometown of Illah, and it follows two days so funeral rights in Edo and Delta States.
A delegation of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to be led by its president, Amaju Pinnick, is expected to attend the programme.
Keshi is one of only two men to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as player and as coach, the other being Mahmoud El-Gohary of Egypt.
Stephen Keshi captained the Super Eagles for 11 years, winning the Africa Cup of Nations gold, silver and bronze.
He was coach of Togo between 2004 and 2006, culminating in the Togolese national football team’s first World Cup tournament. He also coached the Mali national team for two seasons (2008-10) before being appointed head coach of the Nigeria national team in 2011.
In 2013, as Coach of the Super Eagles, Keshi lifted the Cup of Nations again after Nigeria defeated Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final at Soccercity in Johannesburg.
In a 44 –month spell as head strategist of the Super Eagles, Keshi also took the team to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup, led the team to the FIFA Confederations Cup and qualified Nigeria for the African Nations Championship for the first time, winning bronze at the competition.
