2016 like every year had its ups and downs, it was a successful year in Nigerian football irrespective of the fact we couldn’t qualify for the 2017 AFCON but we have hopes of a greater and a golden generation Super Eagles in years to come.


The Dream team six led by Samson Siasia won bronze at the rio olympics in August, and the Super Falcons of Nigeria won the African Women Cup of Nations for a record 8th time in Cameroon.


2016 also took away some of our great football icons, though they are dead, their legacies lives on because legends dont die.

1. STEPHEN OKECHUKWU KESHI

From Captain Fantastic to a Super Coach of our National team, very many believed we would not win the 2013 African Cup of Nations, prior to that we didn’t qualify for the 2012 AFCON.
Keshi with a relatively unknown home-based players in the Super Eagles at that time guided Nigeria to a 3rd African Cup of Nations trophy in South Africa.
He had a good time as Nigeria’s coach for four years guiding the Super Eagles to three major competitions, the AFCON in 2013, the FIFA confederations Cup that same year and the 2014 FIFA World Cup where the Super Eagles were eliminated in the round of 16.
He became the second coach to win the African Cup of Nations trophy as a player and a coach. Prior to coaching the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Keshi had successfully coach the Togolese and Malian senior teams. He qualified Togo for its only world Cup appearance in 2006.
Keshi captained Nigeria to a Nations Cup glory in 1994 under Clemen Westerof and was Nigeria’s first Captain to play in a World Cup game in 1994.
Stephen Okechukwu Keshi died in the early hours of Wednesday June 7 2016 in Benin, Edo State few months after his wife Kate passed on. He was reported to have died of Cardiac arrest.

2. SHUAIBU AMODU

Many never saw the death of Shuaibu Amodu coming, the ex-Super Eagles coach also gave up the ghost few days after the death of Stephen Keshi clouded the air.
It was exactly three days after the death of Keshi that the NFF posted on its offical twitter handle that another football legend has kicked the bucket.
The story of Amodu is a tale of one who qualified his home country for two of its four world cup appearances but was not allowed to coach them at the tournament.
Amodu was the architect behind Nigeria qualifying for the 2002 and 2010 world cups but was replaced prior to the tournaments.
Few says after his death, it was revealed in the media Amodu might have died over the frustration of being owed by the Edo state Government and the Nigerian football federation.
“I think he died out of frustration because his financial status was not okay. He was complaining of not being paid and he was having difficulties to maintain himself and his immediate family. I think the purpose of his being in Benin was to put up a bill for his payment. He is being owed by NFF and the Edo state government.” Amodu’s cousin said.


Shuaibu was later laid to rest in his home town Okpella according to Islamic rites. He was survived by his aged mother, a wife and eight children.

3. IZU JOSEPH
The 2016/2017 season of the Nigeria Professional Football League resumes on the 15th of January 2017, Shooting Stars of Ibadan hosts Nassarawa United and will be without their solid left-back Izu Joseph.


Death defeated the energetic defender shortly after the end of the 2015/2016 Nigeria Football League season in his home town Mahuda Local Government of Bayelsa State after he was shot by Nigerian Soldiers of the JTF who taught he was a militant in the area.
The father of the slain defender said the death of his was unfair as he showed the military men his ID Card before he was shot but they didn’t give him a suitable response. So many football pundits believed the death of the promising player could have been avoided.


4. DOUGLAS UZAMA

Uzama, who just turned 18 on the 5th of December met an untimely death on the 29th of December 2016.

Douglas Uzama represented Nigeria at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile and was also part of the NIGERIA U20 team.


The Gombe United player was shot dead by a suspected cultist just two days before the new year.


source: http://soccerblitz.net/2016/12/29/deaths-that-rocked-nigerian-football-in-2016/