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From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The first Nigerian and African coach to win a world football trophy, Sebastian Brodericks-Imasuen, is dead.
A family source confirmed that he died in the early hours of yesterday in Benin City after a protracted illness at the age of 85.
The late veteran coach, who won Nigeria’s first World Cup at the Under 17 level in China in 1985, was one of the players that represented Nigeria national football team at the Mexico 1968 Olympic Games.
Popularly known as ‘Sabara’ in his playing days, Broadricks Imasuen would be remembered for his famous free kick goal that won Bendel Insurance of Benin the then Challenge Cup in 1972.
Also known for his curving shots, especially from free kick/dead ball situations, one of Imasuen’s biggest moment as a club player was when he scored the winning goal in the 3-2 victory for Bendel Insurance in the replay of the 1972 Challenge Cup with Mighty Jets Football Club of Jos at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan.
He was the head of a three-man coaching crew that included Bala Shamaki and Christian Chukwu when the Nigerian team shocked the world in Beijing, China to lift Under-17 Junior World Cup in 1985.
He also led the team to the 1987 edition of the competition in Canada and got to the final before his team narrowly lost through penalty shootouts to the then Soviet Union, just as his team lost to Saudi Arabia by penalty shootouts in the quarterfinals at his third attempt.
The late Brodericks Imasuen began his football career in 1956 when as a student, he featured for the Onitsha team in the Challenge Cup.
In 1962, he joined the then ECN and was part of the Challenge Cup winning side of 1965. He was invited to the national team in 1962 but only became a regular in the build-up to the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.
He later became a coach and handled the Midwest junior side to win gold medal at the inaugural National Sports Festival in 1973.
Besides, he was the assistant to Clemens Westerhof in the Super Eagles.
