Heartland FC coach, Obi, dead, players injured in auto crash

Coach Christian Obi of Heartland FC of Owerri is dead.

The club’s Media Officer, Tunde Liadi, confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Owerri and made available to newsmen on Saturday.

Liadi stated that the accident occurred at Okwelle in Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo at about 4pm on Friday.

He explained that the accident happened when their Coaster bus collided with a stationary truck, while trying to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle.

He added that there were at least 20 members of the team in the bus and that some players sustained various degrees of injuries.

He further stated that the team were on their way for the TICO/SELECT Ifeanyi Ekwueme Preseason Tournament taking place in Abakaliki, Ebonyi, when the accident happened.

According to Liadi, the driver tried his best to avert the accident but the impact of the collision caused a sudden shock to the coach.

He further stated that he was unconscious, with a slight injury on his right leg, when he was taken out of the badly damaged bus.

The club’s bus

He added that Obi and other injured players were immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital for medical treatment.

He regretted that the highly respected coach later passed on, while the medical team were 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.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 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.