The executive committee of Badagry Football Coaches Council (BFCC) has confirmed that an exhibition match to mark the burial of a leading member of the group, Osahon Emokpae will hold this Thursday at Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Stadium, FESTAC Town, Lagos.
Sports247 reports that a selection of active coaches from BFCC will take on a squad representing Iba Coaches Council (ICC) in the encounter that is scheduled to commence at 10am, with many guests expected in attendance, including ex-international striker, Victor Okechukwu Agali.
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Also expected to grace the event is former Italy-based midfielder-turned-players’ manager, Marshall Mbre, who runs a football academy at the same venue, where he groomed talents like Nnamdi Oduamadi, the first Super Eagles’ player to score a hat-trick during a FIFA senior competition.
Incidentally, Oduamadi, whose milestone treble came against Tahiti at the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil, was groomed by late Coach Osahon in the junior squad of National Grassroots Dream Team, with which he became MVP at the 1st Dokun Abidoye Cup in Osogbo, Osun State.
More fond memories about the late dutiful and highly dedicated tactician are bound to come alive on Thursday, as friends, fans, colleagues, promoters, organisers, referees and administrators gather to honour the immediate past caretaker chairman of Badagry Division Football Association (BDFA).
He is also fondly renowned as the mentor who founded, coached and solely sponsored Young Stars FC of Satellite Town, Lagos, with which he discoverd and groomed currrent Super Eagles’ striker, Paul Ebere Onuachu among many other youngsters who successfully took their careers overseas.
During his life time, Coach Emokpae, who many of his protégés fondly called ‘Wenger,’ also handled the feeder team of Enyimba of Aba as well as the Lagos centre of Vejle Football Academy, which had Onuachu’s current teammate at Trabzonspor of Turkey, Anthony Nwakaeme as their captain.
While speaking about the legacy of the late highly-acclaimed youth developer, the secretary-general of Nigerian Grassroots Football Federation (NGFF), Mr Oscar Ezinwa Emmanuel said he is happy to hear that a match is about to be played in his honour and promised to be present physically at the game.
“This is something I like to hear about,” said the man fondly called ‘TM’ and is the president of Pison Divine Royals Sports Promotions, “It is just fitting that a football match should be played in honour of Coach Osahon, since it was through the game that he made his biggest impact in life.
“We worked together during his time with National Grassroots Dream Team and I knew him as a very humble and obedient person. He never argued with anybody and treated all the players like his children. I am sad that he is gone so soon, and I just have to be at the match to pay my last respects to him.”
Sports247 gathered further that the exhibition match will be folllowed by service of songs at the late tactician’s residence in Satellite Town, where a burial service will also hold on Friday morning, to be followed immediately after by interment at Atan Cemetery, Yaba, Lagos.
