JUST IN: SEBASTINE BRODERICK, THE FIRST NIGERIAN COACH TO WIN THE U17 WORLD CUP, PASSES AWAY

Babatunji Wusu –

This Wednesday morning, Sebastine Broderick-Imasuen, who guided the Golden Eaglets to the historic victory in the first-ever U16 World Cup in China, passed away.

Bamidele Oguntuashe, one of the players he managed in the 1989 U17 World Cup in Scotland, initially revealed the information, and Harrison Jalla, the Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) Task Force, confirmed it via a WhatsApp post.

For the news of the legendary coach’s passing—who had been bedridden for a few months—Jalla cited family members. It has been stated that he had diabetes and a stroke.

The late coach participated in the 1968 Mexico Olympic Football Team and is most remembered for his stunning free kick victory that helped Bendel Insurance win the Challenge Cup in 1972.

In his role as coach, he oversaw a three-person team that also comprised Christian Chukwu and Bala Shamaki when the Nigerian team stunned the world in China in 1985. In 1987, he led the squad once more to Canada and to the final, where they lost to the Soviet Union in a penalty shootout.

In the quarterfinals, his squad was defeated by Saudi Arabia via penalty kick on its third try in the competition.
He had previously been Clemens Westerhof’s Super Eagles assistant.

In 1956, while still a student, he made his football debut in the Challenge Cup for the Onitsha squad.

He joined the then-ECN in 1962 and was a member of the 1965 Challenge Cup winning team. Though he was invited to the national squad in 1962, he didn’t start playing regularly until the run-up to the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968.
He was well-known for his curved shots, particularly when he was awarded a free kick.

Known by most as “Sabara,” his greatest moment as a club player came when he scored the game-winning goal in Bendel Insurance’s 3-2 triumph over Mighty Jets of Jos in the 1972 Challenge Cup replay at Liberty Stadium. This was the first time the national cup final was played outside of Lagos.

In 1973, he won a gold medal at the first National Sports Festival as a coach for the Midwest junior team.