Ocean Boys recorded a long overdue first win of the
season when they defeated Niger Tornadoes 2-0 on Sunday. But the victory came at a cost as the club’s left back, Emmanuel Ogoli died during the match.
Ogoli slumped on the pitch in the 39th minute of play and after efforts at resuscitating him failed, he was rushed into an ambulance. He was confirmed dead on the way to the hospital.
photo:late Ogoli & okwaraji
The former Bayelsa United skipper only recently returned to first team duties with the former league champions after suffering a knee injury in a week two Premier League game against Plateau United at the Samson Siasia Stadium on November 14 following a clash with Plateau United’s Obinna Nwokolo..
He subsequently missed his side’s 5-2 drubbing at the hands of Rangers in Enugu but resumed training way ahead of schedule and even got to play a part in his club’s 1-1 draw at home to Sharks.
He also featured in penultimate weekend’s 1-0 loss at Gombe United and returned to the starting line-up in yesterday’s game against Niger Tornadoes, which turned out to be the last of his career.
Teammates in shock
“I still can’t believe what happened to Emma. One second he was standing and the very next he was lying flat on the pitch,” narrated Ocean Boys goalkeeper, Femi Thomas amidst tears.
“There was no challenge of any sort; no one touched him. He just went down in the (penalty) box not too far away from where I was standing,” recalled the former Nigeria junior international who, like the rest of the Ocean Boys squad, didn’t get to hear the sad news until the end of the game.
“We weren’t told anything until after the match. We were all shocked; we are still in shock and there’s no way we can celebrate,” added the former Nasarawa United shot stopper.
But for Ogoli’s death, there would have been every reason to celebrate Sunday’s win at the Samson Siasia Stadium as it was the first win of the campaign for the side from Brass and lifted them off the bottom of the league table ahead of the Jos based duo of Plateau United and JUTH, who both suffered defeats at the weekend, the latter, a 2-0 home loss to Kwara United.
History of deaths
Ogoli’s death won’t the first time a Nigerian player will be dying while on club or national duty with one of the earliest cases occurring back in August 1989 when Nigerian midfielder Samuel Okwaraji collapsed and died while playing against Angola in a World Cup Qualifier. An autopsy later showed that the 24-year-old had an enlarged heart and high blood pressure.
In the Nigerian league, back in October 1995, Julius Berger forward Amir Angwe, who five years earlier was the star of BCC Lions’ CAF Cup Winners Cup success, collapsed and died at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
He was later diagnosed to have died of a heart attack which was the same diagnoses for John Ikoroma who died while playing for Middle East club Al-Wahda in February 2000.
There was also the case of Warri Wolves goalkeeper Orobosa Adun, who slumped and died during a training session in May 2009, as well as Endurance Idahor, who in March this year collapsed while playing for his Sudanese club Al Merreikh and died on the way to hospital.
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