Before the kick-off of all Match Day 21 fixtures of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) on Wednesday evening, the late Stephen Keshi, was honoured with a minute silence.
The former Super Eagles coach passed on earlier in the day in Benin City, from a reported cardiac arrest.
All NPFL clubs were then directed by the League Management Company (LMC), to maintain a moment of silence and for all players to wear black armbands.
A statement by the LMC described Keshi as “a pathfinder, courageous athlete who remains one of the inspirational stories for young Nigerian and indeed African players.”
The LMC described the late Keshi as one of the players that put the shine on the football league in Nigeria while it was still in amateur stages.
“The exploits of Keshi and his team mates at New Nigerian Bank in the 1980’s registered Nigeria as a club football power house after the achievements of IICC Shooting Stars and Rangers International in the 1970s.
“As a player and later, captain of the national team for over a decade, Keshi demonstrated dedication and love for father land. He was a team builder and leader whose influence on younger players was the driving spirit behind the achievements at the Nations Cup in Tunisia and a world cup outing that made the world take notice of the Super Eagles.
