Coach Christian Obi of Heartland FC of Owerri is dead, an official of the Owerri, Imo State-based FC has announced .
The club’s Media Officer, Tunde Liadi, who confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Owerri and made available to newsmen on Saturday (today, August 24), said Obi died in an accident, which occurred at Okwelle in Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo State, at about 4pm on Friday (yesterday, August 23).
According to him, the accident happened when the Coaster bus in which the Coach and his players and officials were travelling collided with a stationary truck, as the driver maneuvered the vehicle to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle.
With at least 20 members of the team onboard, the bus, Liadi further explained, was headed to Abakaliki for the TICO/SELECT Ifeanyi Ekwueme Preseason Tournament taking place in the Ebonyi State capital, when the accident took place, lamenting that some players also sustained various degrees of injuries.
Liadi commended the driver for his alertness, saying he tried his best to avert the accident but that the impact of the collision, which eventually happened, 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.
He disclosed that Coach Obi and other injured players were immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital for medical treatment, regretting that the highly respected coach later passed on while the medical team were still 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 at around 3:30pm in three vehicles.
“At 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 added.
He, however, said 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.
Obi‘s remains have since been deposited at the Federal University Teaching Hospital, (FUTH), Owerri morgue, while the injured players were referred to the same hospital for proper medical care, according to NAN.
