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Charles Bassey, a former Green Eagles player, has died after a prolonged battle with ill health.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) confirmed Bassey’s death in a statement on Sunday.
Bassey died in his native town of Eket, Akwa Ibom, on Saturday — few hours after the death of Christian Chukwu, former Eagles captain and coach. Both ex-footballers were members of the Eagles side that won Nigeria’s first Africa Cup Nations (AFCON) in 1980.
In 2019, Bassey revealed he had suffered a “nerve root compression” in his spinal cord following a car accident in 1986.
The ex-footballer added that the damage was worsening, and he was experiencing difficulty walking. He made a public plea for financial support.
In 2021, Bassey said the Femi Otedola Foundation funded his spinal cord surgery.
Bassey was also a manager, and he managed many football clubs in the Nigerian league, such as Calabar Rovers, Wikki Tourist of Bauchi, BCC Lions of Gboko, Flash Flamingos, Mobil Pegasus of Eket, and Akwa United Football Club.
Bassey’s death brings the number of members in the 1980 AFCON team who have departed to nine.
They include: Best Ogedegbe, Moses Effiong, Christian Chukwu, Okechukwu Isima, Tunde Bamidele, Aloysius Atugbu, Mudashiru Lawal and Martins Eyo.
[TheCable]