THE Coach of Heartland Football Club (FC) of Owerri, Mr. Christian Obi, has died in an auto crash.
The club’s Media Officer, Mr. Tunde Liadi, who confirmed the incident in a statement in Owerri on Saturday, August 24, said the accident occurred at Okwelle in Onuimo Local Council of Imo State at about 4pm on Friday, August 23.
He explained that the accident happened when their Coaster bus, conveying at least 20 members of the team, collided with a stationary truck while trying to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle, adding that some players sustained various degrees of injuries.
Liadi further stated that the team were on their way for the TICO/SELECT Ifeanyi Ekwueme Preseason Tournament, taking place in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, when the accident happened.
He explained that the driver tried his best to avert the accident, but the impact of the collision caused a sudden shock to the coach, who was unconscious, with a slight injury on his right leg, when he was taken out of the badly damaged bus and was immediately rushed, along with other injured players, to a nearby private hospital for medical treatment, where he later passed on while the medical team were making frantic effort to resuscitate him.
“The heart-breaking day saw the Heartland FC team departing the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, for the pre-season tournament with enthusiasm around 3:30pm in three vehicles.
“About some minutes past 4pm, one of the vehicles rammed into a carelessly parked truck, while attempting to avoid an oncoming vehicle.
“Words alone cannot fully capture how the news of his death has thrown everyone at the club into deep mourning, because of how precious he was to the club.
“His name would continue to remain etched in the history of the club, following the club’s unbeaten run in the Nigeria National League throughout the 2022-23 season, a feat that culminated in the club winning the League Super 8 in Asaba, Delta State,” Liadi noted.
He stated that while the club appreciates the concerns from football enthusiasts over the unfortunate incident, it would prefer that its privacy and that of the bereaved family be respected during the period of grief.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Obi‘s remains have since been deposited in the morgue of the Federal University Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Owerri, while the injured players were referred to the same hospital for further medical attention.
