OBITUARY
Germany’s World Cup-winning captain and coach Beckenbauer dies at 78 –
Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, one of soccer’s greatest players who captained his country to World Cup glory in 1974 and won the tournament again as manager in 1990, has died at the age of 78, his family said in a statement on Monday.
Beckenbauer bestrode the sport as player, coach, pundit and administrator for more than half a century and was widely admired globally, with messages of sympathy pouring in from across the world on Monday.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and our father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday, Sunday, surrounded by his family,” read a statement from his family.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X: “World Cup winner as player and coach: Franz Beckenbauer was one of the greatest footballers in Germany and for many ‘der Kaiser’ also because of the excitement for German Football he created for generations. We will miss him. My thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Beckenbauer was a classy, dominant presence on the pitch for West Germany and Bayern Munich in the 1960s and 70s, using a calmness on the ball and effortless distribution that marked his midfield performances to virtually invent the central defensive sweeper role, or ‘libero’ where he found most success.
“The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it was – suddenly it is darker, more quiet, poorer,” the club said in a statement.
“The German record champions are grieving the loss of Franz Beckenbauer, the unique ‘Kaiser’ without whom FC Bayern would not have become the club it is today.”
He earned 103 caps for West Germany, winning the 1972 European Championship and then the World Cup on home soil two years’ later, having lost in the final to England in 1966.
In 1970 he famously played for much of the classic World Cup semi-final against Italy with his arm in a sling, having dislocated his shoulder and broken his collar bone.
His Bayern team were the best club side in the world during the mid-1970s, winning three successive European Cups and three straight Bundesliga titles, and Beckenbauer was twice named European footballer of the year.
He then made a controversial move to the United States, joining the “all-star” New York Cosmos team, who he helped to three domestic titles, before returning to Germany and helping Hamburg to the Bundesliga crown.
NATIONAL COACH
Beckenbauer became national team coach in 1984 despite having no previous experience and led West Germany to the 1986 World Cup final where they lost to Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
Four years later, he led a combined Germany team to victory in the final over the Argentines.
Beckenbauer was one of three men to have won the World Cup as a player and then coach and his death comes three days after the first to do it – Brazil’s Mario Zagallo. France’s Didier Deschamps is the other.
“It was a huge honour for me to join them both in 2018 as those who won the World Cup as a player and then as coach,” Deschamps said.
“He (Beckenbauer) exuded a class, a confidence that many sought to be inspired by. Franz Beckenbauer was an extremely respected personality, who embodied the demands of the very highest level.”
Lothar Matthaeus, Beckenbauer’s victorious captain at Italia 90, said: “The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz wasn’t well. His death is a loss for football and for Germany as a whole.
“He was one of the greatest as a player and coach, but also off the pitch. Franz was an outstanding personality not only in football, and he enjoyed worldwide recognition. Everyone who knew him knows what a great and generous person Franz was.”
Beckenbauer tasted more domestic success as manager and then club president at Bayern before becoming vice president of the German FA, playing a key role in Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup.
However, in 2016 he was fined by the ethics committee of world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, for failing to cooperate with an inquiry into corruption over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Another FIFA enquiry into Beckenbauer’s actions regarding the awarding of the 2006 World Cup was dropped without any charges being made due to a statue of limitations issue.
But it is for his incredible achievements on the pitch and in the dugout that Beckenbauer will be remembered.
“Franz Beckenbauer rewrote the history of German football and left a lasting impact on it,” said his former team mate and long-time Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
-Reuters
The Nigerian sports media community has been thrown into mourning following the deaths of two respected football journalists and administrators, Oyeniyi Oyeleke and Tonex Chukwu.
Their passing has triggered tributes from colleagues across the country who remember them as dedicated professionals who made meaningful contributions to sports journalism and football administration.
Oyeleke’s Legacy in Broadcast Sports Journalism
Oyeleke, a former chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, was widely respected for his work in broadcast sports journalism.
During his career, he worked with the Nigerian Television Authority, where he was part of the network’s sports reporting team, before later contributing to coverage on SuperSport.
As Lagos SWAN chairman, Oyeleke was known for his efforts to strengthen the professional standing of sports journalists and promote unity within the association.
Colleagues recall him as a calm, thoughtful voice within the sports media fraternity, always willing to mentor younger journalists entering the profession.
Chukwu Remembered in Nigerian Club Football
Tonex Chukwu, who also passed away, built a strong reputation within Nigerian club football circles, particularly through his work as media officer of Enyimba FC, one of the country’s most successful teams.
He later served as coordinator for Heartland FC, contributing to the organisation and administration of the club during his tenure.
Friends and colleagues describe Chukwu as a passionate football communicator who played an important role in bridging the relationship between clubs, supporters and the media.
Tributes Pour In
News of their deaths has prompted an outpouring of grief across Nigeria’s sports community, with journalists, club officials and administrators remembering both men for their commitment to the game.
Many have taken to social media and professional platforms to honour their memories and reflect on the impact they made within the industry.
As tributes continue to flow, colleagues say the legacies of Oyeleke and Chukwu will endure through the many journalists and football professionals whose careers and lives they touched.
The Nigerian sports community has also extended heartfelt condolences to their families, friends and loved ones during this difficult period.
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Veteran French coach Jean Louis Gasset, who was fired at the last Africa Cup of Nations by Ivory Coast before they went on to win the trophy, has died aged 72, his former French club Montpellier announced on Friday.
Hosts Ivory Coast were sensationally beaten 4-0 by minnows Equatorial Guinea in their last group game at the 2023 edition in the biggest upset in tournament history, finishing third in their group.
Gasset was dismissed after the shock defeat but the Ivorians earned a reprieve as one of the best third placed finishers to qualify for the knockout rounds and eventually won the title under Gasset’s assistant Emerse Fae.
One month after returning to France, Gasset was appointed coach at Olympique de Marseille but stayed for only four months.
He went back to Montpellier last season but when they were headed for relegation, he was sacked in April.
Gasset spent most of his playing career at Montpellier, where his father had been one of the club founders.
The cause of death was not given.
Reuters
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The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Norbert Okolie, the Media Director of Rangers International FC, describing his passing as a major loss to the Nigerian sports community.
Okolie, a respected journalist and administrator, died over the weekend. Until his death, he served as the Media Director of the Enugu-based NPFL side and previously chaired the Enugu State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). He was also a member of the association’s national council.
In a condolence statement, NPFL Media Director Harry Iwuala paid tribute to Okolie’s professionalism and dedication, noting that he was one of the most outstanding media officers in the league.
“I have worked and am still working with NPFL clubs’ Media Directors, and Norbert was one of the few who distinguished himself in the way he engaged the public, especially the sporting media, on behalf of his club,” Iwuala said.
He added that Okolie’s background as a photojournalist enriched his work and elevated the quality of media content produced for the club, the league, and the wider public.
Iwuala extended heartfelt condolences to Okolie’s family, Rangers International, the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, and members of the NPFL Media Directors Association.
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