Former Nigeria international, Willy Bazuaye, has died, few days after being rushed into the intensive care unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital in Edo State.
The Chairman of the Edo State Football Association, Frank Ilaboya, informed the Nigeria Football Federation: “We were set to conduct the draw for our state preliminaries of the 2015 Federation Cup when Bauldwin Bazuaye, Willy’s son, called to break the sad news. We stopped the event, but later went on with it after observing a minute’s silence.”
Ilaboya led members of the Edo State Football Association executive board to pay a condolence visit to the Bazuaye family on Monday evening.
It was gathered learnt that Bazuaye, 80, died of complications to his kidney, a side effect of the stroke he suffered several years ago.
Bazuaye played for Nigeria’s senior team for several years, including featuring at the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1968 Olympic Games and was assistant coach to the U-23 National Team when the squad won Africa’s first-ever football gold at the Olympic Games in 1996.
The Edo-born tactician, who terminated his services with the Nigeria Police Force after 19 years to build a successful career in football, became a household name as part of the technical crew at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996 when he led the Nigerian gold-winning U23 team to victory as well as the Golden Eaglets to its maiden victory in China in 1985.