Yekini dies aged 48

[KC McElroy]

Damn, I used to drive his ass and the ass of the other members of Nigeria's World Cup team back and forth from their hotel to their training field (Wheaton College IIRC) and to and from their game against Greece where as we were driving back to the hotel the news of Argentina's loss against Bulgaria came and caused wild celebrations on their bus. RIP.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...ged-48?cc=5901

Former Nigeria striker Rashidi Yekini has died aged 48.

Yekini, who scored Nigeria's first ever World Cup goal 1994, died suddenly in Ira, Nigeria.

The striker, who played for Portuguese side Vitoria Setubal, Greek giants Olympia*** and Spanish team Sporting Gijon, is best remembered for his goals at the World Cup in the United States.

He scored his country's first World Cup goal in a 3-0 win over Bulgaria. His celebration, running into the goal and clutching the netting was one of the tournament's most memorable images.

Confederation of African Football president Issa Hayatou said: "I remember him well. He was a solid attacker - it was so difficult to take the ball from him.

"His physical strength was impressive. His joviality made him an endearing character. He has made a mark on his generation and received recognition from the pantheon of African football.

"In these painful circumstances I want to send in my name and on behalf of all the executive committee and the entire African football family my deepest condolences to his people, the Nigerian Federation and all its supporters. May God bless his soul and comfort his family.2

Yekini, who was named African Footballer of the Year in 1993, was top scorer as Nigeria won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and also appeared at the 1998 World Cup.

[persian-eagle-13]

^^ you sound bitter about your job back in the day "driving his ass and the ass of the other members of Nigeria's World......" Sharif university educated you on some stuff but they definitely failed to educated you on other stuff.

[KC McElroy]

No not bitter at all.

[webmaster]

RIP.. what was the cause of death as he seemed to be fit?

[soniq]

I barely remember anything from '94 except my dad's VHS recordings of the games which i watched when I got older.
But his celebration was something that I never forgot after I saw it for the first time, Rest in peace.

[KC McElroy]

RIP.. what was the cause of death as he seemed to be fit?

From wiki so I'm not sure how reliable it is:

Yekini was severally reported to be ill for an extended period of time. In 2011, the news media in Nigeria had been awash with stories of his failing health, he was said to have suffered from bipolar disorder, depression and some other undisclosed neurological defect.

[NFL]

RIP. I remember that WC very Well. that team got screwed by the ref in the game against Italy when they had one of their best red carded.

[KC McElroy]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/ye...121409045.html

Rashidi Yekini's daughters have spoken out, four years after their father's demise, asking that an inquisition be carried out over the circumstances surrounding the legendary striker's death.

There have been unconfirmed murmurs in the past regarding how the Super Eagles' leading scorer died in Ibadan, and 21-year old Yemisi has urged the authorities to carry out a thorough investigation.

In an interview with The Punch, she said: "Yes," when asked if an inquisition should be conducted.

"There is no information on how he died and we cannot move on when we don’t know he died. Your father just passed away and you ask your mother, ‘Mum, how did he die?’ And she says, ‘I don’t know.’ Your father is dead and you don’t know he died. That’s the worst thing. You don’t know if he was killed, drugged or ill. There are no answers as to how he died, so I will like there to be an inquisition to that."

In a similar interview, Yemisi's younger sister, Omoyemi, denied reports that her father was mentally challenged up until his demise, blaming the media for failing to properly investigate stories before reporting.

"I can’t really say the stories were true or not. If my dad says ‘it's, fine’, I know it's fine. But the media don’t investigate properly before coming out with their stories. He was just being normal," Omoyemi said.

"For example, some complained about him giving money to people but he was being normal. He was never insane. He helped the physically challenged and poor people."

Yekini scored 37 goals in a glittering career for the Super Eagles, winning the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and scoring Nigeria's first ever goal at a World Cup Finals with his strike against Bulgaria at the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

He died in unclear circumstances in 2012 after family members claimed to have taken him to a marabout for treatment of mental illness. He was swiftly buried according to Islamic rites, leaving no room for autopsy to be performed on his corpse.

[KC McElroy]

RIP. I remember that WC very Well. that team got screwed by the ref in the game against Italy when they had one of their best red carded.

I'd say you don't remember it that well. It was in fact an Italian player (Zola) who received a red card against Nigeria.