Ex-Super Eagles midfielder, Emmanuel Ebiede dies at 47

His death was confirmed around 4pm at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital.

The 47-year-old is survived by a wife and three kids – two in Nigeria and one in Holland.

The midfielder was a member of the Flying Eagles squad at the African Youth Championship on home soil in 1995.

The United Kingdom-based David Doherty, who contested the presidency of the Nigeria Football Federation at last year’s election, confirmed the death of the former SC Heerenveen player to our correspondent.

Doherty had opened an account for donors to assist the ailing Ebiede until his death.

“I just spoke with the daughter who confirmed to me that Emmanuel is dead,” Doherty told the PUNCH.

“I’m very sad as we speak. This was someone whom I spoke with two days ago to know how he was faring.

Ebiede had two caps for the Super Eagles, making his debut under Serbian Bora Milutinovic in the 1-0 win over Iran in a pre-1998 World Cup friendly January 28, 1998.

At club level, Ebiede joined Belgian First Division side, SC Eendracht Aalst, from boyhood club Sharks of Port Harcourt in 1995.

In 1997, he moved to SC Heerenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie, before further spells in the United Arab Emirates (1999-2004) and Israel (2006-2008). He then returned home to feature for Bayelsa United and Sharks. He retired in 2011.