Uche Okafor

Uchenna Kizito Okafor, often shortened to Uche Okafor (8 August 1967 – 6 January 2011)[1] was a Nigerian football defender who played 34 international matches for Nigeria.

For the Nigerian goalkeeper, see Uche Okafor (footballer, born 1991).
Uche Okafor
Personal information
Full name Uchenna Kizito Okafor
Date of birth (1967-08-08)8 August 1967
Place of birth Owerri, Nigeria
Date of death 6 January 2011(2011-01-06) (aged 43)
Place of death Little Elm, Texas, United States
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1988 ACB Lagos ? (?)
1988–1991 KRC Mechelen ? (?)
1991–1992 UR Namur ? (?)
1992–1993 Le Touquet AC ? (?)
1993–1994 Hannover 96 4 (0)
1994 UD Leiria 0 (0)
1995 Ironi Ashdod 13 (0)
1995–1996 S.C. Farense 0 (0)
1996–2000 Kansas City Wizards 109 (3)
National team‡
1988–1998 Nigeria 34 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 May 2007
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 July 2006

Club career

Okafor's club career took him to many countries[2] before he settled in the USA. Okafor was drafted to Kansas City Wizards in the ninth round of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft, and played there for five seasons before retiring after the 2000 season.

International career

Okafor played every match when Nigeria won the 1994 African Cup of Nations, but sustained an ankle injury shortly thereafter. He was part of the squad to the 1994 World Cup but did not get any playing time. He played one out of their four games in the 1998 World Cup, though, as well as at the 1988 Olympics.

Coaching

Okafor coached for the Associated Soccer Group,[3] a member of the North Texas Soccer Association. He was head coach for the 91 Gold Central boys team and the 93 HP Central boys team who play in the Plano Premier Select Soccer league.

Media work

Okafor was a regular pundit on African football on ESPN's coverage and their PressPass programme.

Death

Okafor's body was discovered by his wife in January 2011 shortly after he returned home from dropping off his daughter in school in their house in Little Elm, a town about 30 miles northwest of Dallas. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said that he hanged himself in an upstairs hallway. Okafor's family rejected the suicide ruling of the Little Elm Police Department, suspecting foul play.[4]

Kent Babb, reporter for the Kansas City Star, published an in-depth analysis of Uche's death on 19 May 2012.[5]

Honours

Club
Kansas City Wizards

References
  1. Jide Alaka (7 January 2011). "Uche Okafor dies in the US". Next. Timbuktu Media. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. "Trialists". The Celtic Wiki.
  3. "Associated Soccer Group". ASG Dallas Futbol Club. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007.
  4. Alex Copeland (11 March 2011). "Nigerian Soccer Star Buried in Africa, As Family Challenges Little Elm PD's Suicide Ruling". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  5. Kent Babb (19 May 2012). "Family of former soccer pro can't accept shame of suicide ruling". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
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