NFF Reveals How It Will Retire Sam Okwaraji’s No.6 Jersey From Super Eagles

Plans are underway by the Nigerian Football Federation to retire the Super Eagles No.6 jersey previously worn by the late Sam Okwaraji.

Pinnick spoke about this arrangement in an interview on a radio programme Sports Salsa, which was aired on Kennis 104.1 FM on Wednesday.

Okwaraji died of congestive heart failure minutes after he slumped during a 1990 World Cup qualifier between Nigeria and Angola on August 12, 1989, inside the main-bowl of the National Stadium, Lagos.

The game ended 1-0 in favour of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

“Someone made a proposal about retiring the jersey (No.6) at the start of the year and I think it is not too much for us to do that,” Pinnick said.

“I will forward the proposal to the executive committee for implementation because it has been said already. So, we will see how we can retire that shirt in honour of a great patriot (Samuel) Okwaraji.

“His (Okwaraji) death was very tragic because he was a player who showed dexterity, professionalism and maturity each time he played for the Eagles.”

Okwaraji, who made his debut in 1988, was capped eight times for the Super Eagles.

SEE ALSO | Super Eagles World Cup Jersey From 1994 Till Date: The FULL Breakdown

He also featured at that the 1988 African Cup of Nations in Morocco, scoring the tournament’s fastest goal against Cameroon within two minutes.

This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago

Oseg has been a writer since 2013. His passion for helping people in all aspects of sports flow through in the expert coverage he provides in writing for GoalBall.