By Raymond Akparhure on January 22, 2021

Late Super Eagles coach Joe Erico probably saw his death coming.

The Jogo Bonito exponent spoke strangely more about death Tuesday morning when I actually needed his reaction to Golden Eaglets’ silver medal finish at WAFU Cup in Togo

I had called him a rare four times without response before he eventually responded in low tone just before 2pm.

He said amid hisses: “Ray Power, all is not well with me. That my illness is back and it’s disturbing me hard. It almost killed me when my friends Keshi and Amodu died. I’m not myself, I’m in pains, I’m not comfortable. This is not me, as if something strange wants to happen . . .”

I had to interject by advising him to see his doctor very fast.

He agreed to do so as I also implored him to be praying to God. He concluded by saying that he wouldn’t go to his children abroad as he did when the illness heated up after the deaths of former Super Eagles coaches Stephen Keshi and Shuaibu Amodu.

After my radio programme this morning I stepped into the National Stadium Lagos for the first time in a long time. I was walking past Erico’s favourite parking point when a younger colleague ran to me to break the sad news. Indeed, another tragedy to Nigerian football

NOTE: I never asked him about nature of his illness, but he was close to full paralysis before he got healed in about three months in the US.

•Raymond Akparhure, a seasoned sports journalist, wrote this piece shortly after news of Erico’s death broke yesterday, Thursday, January 21, 2021. PHOTO: Late coaches Joe Erico (left) and Stephen Keshi.

Source Daily sports

Posted January 22, 2021

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