BEVERLY HILLS, January 21, (THEWILL) – Former Nigeria international goalkeeper and ex-Super Eagles goalkeeper coach, Joe Erico, has passed on at the age of 72.
His death was confirmed to Goal by a close member of his family, Tomiwa Aghedo.
According to Aghedo, Erico died on Tuesday after he complained of stomach ache.
He said: “I feel sad informing you that coach Joe Erico passed on this morning [Tuesday].
“He complained of stomach ache yesterday (Monday) and he was subsequently rushed to the hospital, where he was told to present his Covid-19 test result before he would be attended to.
“Coach Erico went for the test as directed and very early this morning he passed away. It’s terrible news at this point in time and every one of us is devastated..
“We are consoled by the fact that he served Nigeria with all his strength and he lived a good life worthy of emulation.”
THEWILL writes that Erico was the shot stopper for Nigeria during the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations in Ethiopia and the Green Eagles finished third in the competition.
He was part of the late Amodu Shuaibu coaching crew that helped Nigeria qualify for the the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan and he was also part of the coaching crew in the 2002 AFCON in Mali.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
