by Jude Agbeyeke
Captain of the Nigeria male football team to the 1996 Olympic Games, Kanu Nwankwo and two members of the team Victor Ikpeba as well as Mobi Okparaku have described the demise of former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai as shocking and heart rending.
The trio who spoke in an interview at the ongoing Nigeria National League, NNL Super 8, holding at the Iconic Steven Keshi International Stadium, Asaba, said the death of Peter Rufai had left them with heavy hearts as he was never reported to be sick and needed assistance.
They said that Peter Rufai popularly called Dodo Mayana was a known name in global football and would have been given adequate attention if his ailment came to the notice of the people.
They decried the notion of silence among former National team players saying their conditions should be brought before the people to forestall such occurrences as the nation cannot afford to be losing its heros suddenly due to inadequate medical attention.
Kanu, Ikpeba and Mobi who became emotional however described the late Peter Rufai as an elder brother who was always willing to help the young players settle into the Super Eagles during their playing days.
Peter Rufai they said was the ultimate professional as he remained committed to the National team and gave his all whenever he was called upon saying he was a model to many young players which helped in inspiring and shaping their careers.
The former Deportivo La Coruna of Spain goalkeeper according to the Olympic gold medalists was always the live wire of the team with his jokes and warmth which helped to strengthen the bond in the team saying he would be greatly missed.
The late Peter Rufai who is regarded as one of Africa’s greatest goalkeepers had passed on from kidney related ailment aged 61.
