The family of the late Stephen Keshi has responded to the
amazing outpouring of grief that followed the football icons surprising death
early last week.
Speaking from Atlanta Georgia, Stephen Keshi Junior, spoke on
behalf of the family and shared the following:
“We’re still mourning our father, we’re still shocked and
confused. Words can’t describe our feelings right now, but we want to remain
joyful, remain happy, because he was a joyful and happy person. For us what
helps is our parents are together now; they were together on earth for 33
years. It soothes us that they are together in heaven,” said he said.
“He was our loving father, widow, grandfather, brother, friend,
pioneer, mentor and hero.Our Father was a joyful person, he hated sadness with
a passion, in fact it was like Kryptonite to him. We are grateful for all the
love, support and condolence from everyone on the loss of such an iconic
African.”
“We appreciate all the phone calls, texts, messages and posts on
social media. It is not easy to lose both parents within a 6-month period. It
is important to know that you have been there for us before and will be there
for us going forward. ”
“Stephen Keshi was a just man, who believed and championed the
cause of every teammate when he played the game and every player when he was a
coach. He served his nation and people with pride and joy. He always had a
smile on his face whenever he did it. ”
“His illustrious football
career took him outside of Nigeria to Ivory Coast first, before he made the
trip to Europe; a trip footballer’s make today and he was one of the first to
embark on such journey.Our father was a man of the people; he welcomed everyone
with open arms as a player and even more as a manager when he was with Togo,
Mali and most recently the Super Eagles of Nigeria. ”
“As we mourn the loss of a great man, we want everyone to join
us in celebrating his remarkable life and even though it was taken away from us
quicker than expected, we hope his life serves as a great example, his
experience and how he fought for what was right is seen by younger generations
as something to aspire to. ”
“We will keep you updated on where and when the wake keeping in
California and Georgia will be as well as information about the burial in
Nigeria. Let us celebrate and honor Stephen Keshi, celebrate his example to
serve his country, honor his accomplishments as a player, father and coach,
remember the smile and energetic laughter he had that brightened every room he
walked into. ”
Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, was the former captain of the Super
Eagles of Nigeria, who led Nigeria to it’s debut FIFA World Cup in 1994 and was
the second man to win the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and manager. He
died in Benin on Wednesday of an apparent heart attack. He was 54.
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