Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, and the Nigeria Football Federation have commiserated with the family of ex-international, Yisa Sofoluwe, who died on Tuesday in Lagos.
Sofoluwe, who was diagnosed with mild cerebral atrophy, a brain disease, died on Tuesday evening at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital aged 53.
In a statement signed by the media office of the Minister, Dare expressed shock at the sudden demise of the former national team defence stalwart.
“The news of Yisa Sofoluwe’s death is quite devastating and one that hit me like a tornado,” the statement quoted Dare as saying.
“He was a great, committed, disciplined, humble and patriotic player. He came ahead of his time. No wonder he was nicknamed the Dean of Defence by ace commentator Ernest Okonkwo.
“My condolences and prayers go to his wife, children, teammates and the football community. He died just when help was on the way to pay for his surgery. His death is a huge loss. Rest in peace Dean of Defence.”
The NFF in a statement on Twitter said, “We are devastated to hear of the passing away of former Green Eagles Defender Yisa Sofoluwe after a brief illness on Tuesday. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the football community in Nigeria. May his soul Rest In Peace.”
Born on December 28, 1967, Sofoluwe won 40 international matches and scored a goal for Nigeria and was a member of the Eagles squads that reached the finals of the 1984 and 1988 AFCON tournaments.
The retired left-back, popularly known as Dean of Defense, also had an illustrious career playing for some of the biggest clubs in the country such as 3SC, Abiola Babes, where he won two FA Cups in 1985 and 1987, and Julius Berger and Gateway United.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
