Ex-teammates of late Super Eagles star, Samuel Okwaraji, say they never thought the midfield maestro would die, 31 years after his death.
Today makes it exactly 31 years since the highly skillful footballer passed away in Lagos.
Okwaraji, 25, slumped inside the main-bowl of the National Stadium, Lagos, 10 minutes to the end of a 1990 World Cup qualifier against Angola on August 12, 1989 and while the Eagles secured a hard-earned 1-0 win, the player lost his life after he was rushed to hospital.
Five fans died on the fateful day at the fans overcrowded the 40,000 capacity stadium, filling it nearly 20,000 over, while about 4,000 others were reportedly stranded outside.
Doctors said he died of congestive heart failure, as an autopsy showed that he had an enlarged heart and high blood pressure.
Ex-Eagles captain Austin Eguavoen told The PUNCH it never crossed the minds of the other players that they were not going to see Okwaraji again.
“We were happy that we won the game and we said, ‘okay we will see Sam at the hotel.’ But he never came back,” Eguavoen said.
“Later in the evening after the game, between 9pm and 10pm, we were all standing in the hotel close to my room with the late Stephen Keshi, when our young goalkeeper, I can’t remember his name now, broke the news that Okwaraji had died.
“We all retired back to our rooms and wept.
“It was painful because I could remember he just moved to Belgium from a German third division club. He had prospects, but its unfortunate death cut his life short.”
Then Eagles striker Samson Siasia was closest to Okwaraji when he slumped on the fateful day. The ex-Eagles coach also described the mood after news of their teammate’s death broke.
“The atmosphere at the hotel was very quiet, while some players were crying. We couldn’t believe he was dead and that we will never see him again. It was a terrible experience,” Siasia said.
Okwaraji’s fellow midfielder on the day, Etim Esin added, “Sam was my roommate. The thought of not seeing him again didn’t cross our minds. It’s really sad and it’s been so hard for me to forget about him because I was on the field with him that day. We had a dream for the 1990 World Cup, but it’s unfortunate because his death took away those dreams.”
Eguavoen said he’s found it difficult wiping away the gory scenario that led to Okwaraji’s death, 31 years after the incidence.
“Okwaraji’s death is something that will remain in my memory for a long time, if not for my entire lifetime,” he added.
“We had a throw-in against the Angolans, and I held the ball, so I could tell exactly what happened.
“All of a sudden, Siasia told me to hold on because he was very close to Sam and he knelt down and put his two hands in Sam’s mouth. We gathered around him before the medics came.
“I can remember he almost bit off Siasia’s fingers, until a metal was forced into his mouth. The sad thing was that the ambulance came in and it didn’t start, they had to push it.”
Medical personnel attending to Okwaraji
Ex-Eagles coach Siasia, added, “When he fell, I was the first person that got to him before the medics came into the field. I saw him struggling to breathe and was vomiting some white substances from his mouth. That’s the last we saw of him.
“It was a terrible experience and I pray it won’t happen again to any other player. I believe the heat played a big role in his death.”
Okwaraji made his Eagles debut in 1988 and featured at that year’s African Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he scored one of the fastest goals in the history of the championship against Cameroon in the second minute.
He helped the Eagles reach the final, where they lost to perennial rivals Cameroon by a lone goal.
In all, he played eight games and scored once for the national team.
Okwaraji, a qualified lawyer who had a Masters in International Law from the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome, was reputed for paying his airfares to Eagles matches and declined to collect allowances from the then FA.
(PUNCH)
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