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By: Johnny Edward.
The Nigerian Football Federation, Nigeria Premier Football League, Edo Sports Commission and top coaches in the country have paid glowing tributes to U-17 World Cup-winning coach, Sebastian Brodericks-Imasuen, who died on Wednesday in Benin City, Edo State, The PUNCH reports.
The 85-year-old, who also led the Eaglets to the final and quarter-finals of the U-17 World Cup in 1987 and 1989 respectively, died at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital — in the early hours of Wednesday — where he was undergoing treatment for stroke and diabetes, according to his family.
The Edo FA Chairman, Fred Erhunmwunse, confirmed the death of Brodericks-Imasuen to our correspondent on Wednesday.
“Yes, Brodericks-Imasuen is indeed dead,” Erhunmwunse told our correspondent.
“His body has been taken to the morgue at Airforce Military Hospital in Benin.”
In January 2023, The PUNCH reported that Brodericks-Imasuen had been diagnosed with Ischemic stroke since December 2022 and had been receiving treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery leading to the brain. The blood clot often forms in arteries damaged by the buildup of plaques (atherosclerosis).
Reacting to the coach’s death, the Nigeria Premier Football League chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, said the country had lost an icon of youth and club football coaching.
“Sebastian Brodericks-Imasuen was a coach who made youth football popular in Nigeria and at some point in his career, he was one of those that heightened interest in the professional football league with a running rivalry with some other top club coaches like Willy Bazuaye, James Peters, Charles Bassey to mention a few.
“By his death, our country has lost an icon in the coaching echelon,” Elegbeleye stated.
He directed that as a mark of honour to the departed coach, players and officials of the NPFL would wear black armbands while a minute’s silence would be observed before kickoff on MatchDay 17 of the season this weekend.
Edo State Sports Commission chairman, Yusuf Alli, also commiserated with the family of Brodericks-Imasuen.
He said, “We have lost a great personality, a football tactician and a proud son of Edo land, who had used his talents and spirit of patriotism to bring honour to Edo State and Nigeria as a whole,” Alli said.
“We are saddened by the demise of Brodericks-Imasuen, but we take solace in the fact that he wrote his name in gold in service to his fatherland. We commiserate with his immediate family and pray to God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
“He will also be remembered for his iconic free-kick that earned Bendel Insurance a 3-2 win over Mighty Jets of Jos in Ibadan to win the Challenge Cup in 1972.”
Nigeria Football Federation General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, added in a statement, “The NFF and the entire Nigerian football fraternity are sorely pained by the demise of Sebastian Brodericks-Imasuen. He worked very hard at his craft and was tireless in his efforts to bring honour to the homeland through the various national teams he worked with.
“No one can ever forget how he led an unsung group of boys to China to win a first-ever FIFA World Cup for Nigeria and Africa,” Sanusi said.
Nduka Ugbade, who was captain of the Golden Eaglets as Brodericks-Imasuen led the team to win the inaugural U-17 World Cup in 1985, paid tribute to his former coach.
“It’s so sad to hear this bad news in the New Year. May his soul rest in peace. He was an icon that opened the door of success to Nigerian football,” Ugbade told The PUNCH.
Coach Kadiri Ikhana added, ” My heart bleeds to hear this, may his soul continue to rest in peace.”
As a coach, Brodericks-Imasuen also assisted Dutchman Clemens Westerhof as Nigeria finished as runners-up at the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria.
Apart from his successes at the international level, he coached El-Kanemi Warriors, Udoji United FC and Bendel Insurance in the domestic league.