Nigeria Content Online

Super
Eagles coach, Samson Siasia could not hold back tears as he walked past
the casket of Adefemi Olubayo, who was yesterday buried at the Atan
Cemetery in Lagos.

Siasia, clad in all
black attire, just like the hundreds of football fans at the indoor
sports hall of the National Stadium; venue of the lying in state
ceremony for the former Super Eagles defender, was downcast and hardly
audible when he struggled to answer questions from journalists.

“He was my boy” he
said. “Olubayo was very close to me, he was very humble and also a
focused player, Nigeria will miss him greatly”

The Beijing
Olympics silver-winning coach said he will meet with other Super Eagles
players to fashion how they could best support the family of Adefemi,
who was the bread winner of his family before his tragic death in
Greece.

“As a team we
cannot force any of the players to do something special for the late
Olubayo Adefemi or to promise anything on their behalf, but we can
advise to that effect. What we will suggest and advise the players to
do, is to support the family of Adefemi in a way that it would have a
long, lasting and positive effect on his family,” said Siasia.

Siasia could best
be described as Olubayo’s mentor, nurturing him to stardom right from
the Africa Youth Championships in Benin Republic (2005) then to the
World Youth Championships (2005) in Holland and also to the Olympic
Football event in Beijing (2008).

Adefemi died on
April 18, 2011, in an automobile accident in Greece. Greek police said
the 25-year old defender, who played for Skoda Xanthi, lost control of
his car on the Egnatia motorway while driving from Xanthi to Salonika
in the Kavala region of the country. He was reportedly on his way to
Nigeria to finalise details of his wedding when the accident happened.

Already the Nigeria
Football Federation, through its technical director Chris Green, has
promised to immortalise Adefemi who was regarded has a patriotic
Nigerian.

“He is a shining example to other upcoming players; he puts in his
best each time he is called to serve his country on the pitch. We will
definitely immortalise him” he said.