OBITUARY
BREAKING! The Last of the Firsts; Nigeria’s oldest international footballer, Titus Okere dies
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Nigeria’s oldest former international footballer, Titus Okere has died. He was aged 94. He was a member of Nigeria’s first national team, the famed UK Tourists of 1949.
He clocked 94 last 22 March. His death this morning in Kent UK was announced this evening to Sports Village Square by his grand daughter, Frances Okere.
The announcement went thus: “Good evening Kunle, I’m very sorry to tell you that my grandad died of old age this morning at his home, he will be greatly missed.
“Thank you again for highlighting all his achievements and for including him in your book.”
Until his death, he remained last point of contact for the famous 1949 UK Tourists.
Okere, the left wing wizard of the team who was initially projected to captain the 1949 squad, lived a quiet life in Kent, some 61km to London in the UK.
His 94th birthday coincided with the 43rd anniversary of Nigeria’s first victory at the Africa Cup of Nations. When the then Green Eagles lifted the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time on 22 March, 1980, it was like a divine tribute to the pioneer Nigerian left winger. He was 51 on that day.
Similarly, Joseph Meads, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) inaugural secretary who was also the convener of the 21 August 1933 meeting in which the Nigerian football body now known as NFF was founded (not 1945 as wrongly claimed), was also born on 22 March in 1907.
He should had been 73 years; the day Nigeria beat Algeria to win the Africa Nations Cup for the first time in 1980.
Okere in 1949 was described by Edgar Kail in UK’s Daily Graphic as having a net worth of £15,000 and a row of houses.
The Liverpool Echo edition of 1 September 1949 was astonished about the speed and brilliance of Titus Okere at the outside left and averred that given his experience, “he could find a place in most European League sides.”
Four years later, Okere found himself in the UK at the height of winter. Since his 1953 venture abroad, he seemed to have escaped everyone’s radar.
Sports Village Square had been in touch with the legend through his grand daughter, Frances Okere.
Having left Nigeria in February 1953 and never came back, he was believed to have passed on.
He was the first Nigerian citizen to play football abroad and registered as a professional when he signed for Swindon Town.
His adventure abroad after the initial UK tour of 1949 had an element of luck. He was highly rated by the British press during the UK tour of 1949 even though like most of his colleagues, he was playing barefooted.
Until now, Okere was widely believed to have died since he never return to Nigeria since he left Nigeria in February 1953 as the country’s first ever professional footballer.
Spanish fifth-division goalkeeper Raul Ramirez has died at the age of 19 following a collision during a match for his club Colindres, the Cantabrian Football Federation (RFCF) said on Monday.
Ramirez sustained a head injury during Saturday’s game against Revilla, with Spanish media reporting that the impact led to multiple cardiac arrests and left him brain dead.
The RFCF announced three days of mourning and said a minute’s silence would be observed at all matches next week in his memory.
-Reuters
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Former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Matt Beard has died at the age of 47, the two Women’s Super League (WSL) clubs announced late on Saturday.
Beard led Liverpool to back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014 during his first stint at the club, before returning to the side in 2021 and guiding them back to the top-flight after two seasons in the second tier.
He left Liverpool in February, with his last coaching role coming in a brief spell in charge of Burnley between June and August.
“The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Matt’s family and friends at this devastating time,” Liverpool said in a statement.
“Matt was not only an extremely committed and successful manager, he was also a person of real integrity and warmth, who will always be remembered with genuine fondness by everyone he worked with at the club.”
Beard began his managerial career at Millwall before moving to Chelsea in 2009. He also coached West Ham United, Boston Breakers and Bristol City.
-Reuters
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OBITUARY
Grand master, Danladi Bako pays tribute to the late journalist and football agent, Chris Eseka
Nigerian broadcasting icon, Dr. Nasir Danladi Bako, who masterminded the television programme, Mastesports on the NTA network, has paid glowing tributes to one of the anchors of the programme, Chris Eseka, who was also a former sports journalist and football agent.
In the tribute titled:” A Master Departs for Home”, Dr Bako remarks:
In 1991, at the National Stadium Surulere, after watching a boxing event together, along with Group Captain Brai Ayonote, former Boxing Federation Chairman, I told Chris I wanted him to join Paul Bassey and Sam John as a presenter for my new programme, Mastersports”, scheduled for live transmission soon on NTA 2.
He looked at me and was quiet for a while. I said, “What do you think?”, he replied “But I am not a TV presenter nah”.
I said I will train you, besides even SJ (Sam John) of the Sunday Times is on the show and Paul Bassey.
He then said,”I will do it if you say so”.
“MasterSports” went on air one February Saturday, at noon on NTA 2 Channel 5. Chris became part of the success story.
Always ready to learn, always ready to improve and ever so humble, especially the way he handled fame. He mentored so many sportswriters as well as young footballers and advised even the established stars.
Before 1992, we had travelled severally times together to cover football matches all over Africa, like the Nigeria versus Cameroon World Cup qualifying in Yaounde in 1989.
Same with tournaments like the FIFA U-20 World Cup Saudi ’89 in Saudi Arabia and Algiers ’90 in Algeria.
Chris had the respect of such big-time coaches as Amodu Shaibu and Concord Publisher Bashorun MKO Abiola, and we regularly saw the Pillar of Sports together. Sometimes, without earlier plans, on a normal Saturday afternoon, we could hop into my car and drive to Abeokuta to watch Abiola Babes trade tackles with Leventis United just like that.
In 1994, I arrived in Tunis a day late for the opening ceremony of the CAF/AFCON tourney and couldn’t get a room at Hotel Diplomat, where the team was lodged, Chris opened his doors at room 108 for me to share with him.
I can go on and on about this very reliable friend and brother.
Chris was a committed sports journalist, refined, diligent and professional. When Tony Ubani and Frank Ilaboya of Sportsville gave me an award for Sports some years ago, I dedicated it to Chris.
Rest in peace, my brother. This was very hard to write. Good night, Chris Eseka, one of the Masters!
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