Ex-assistant Eagles coach Erico is dead

A former assistant Nigeria coach Joe Erico is dead. He died Thursday morning after a brief illness. The death of the former Julius Berger FC head coach was announced by the family.

His wife Mosunmola told a family friend that the coach was ill for about three days and treated at the hospital.

“He was okay and we came back home. But just yesterday night (Wednesday), he started doing somehow and he later slept. I tried to wake him up this morning but he was stone dead,” the grieved woman was able to explain.

Coach Joe Erico (Eric is his proper name), the exponent of ‘Jogo Bonito’ football in Nigeria was a friendly fellow. He hardly turned down any interview request.

Erico was a former head coach of Julius Berger and an assisant coach of the Super Eagles under Clemens Westerhof and later Shaibu Amodu. The former goalkeeper trainer worked Amodu and most popular Eagles captain Stephen Keshi at the Mali 2002 African Nations Cup.