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Uchenna Kizito Okafor, often shortened to Uche Okafor (8 August 1967 – 6 January 2011)[1] was a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He made 34 international appearances for the Nigeria national team.

Uche Okafor

Personal information
Full name	Uchenna Kizito Okafor
Date of birth	(1967-08-08)8 August 1967
Place of birth	Owerri, Nigeria
Date of death	6 January 2011(2011-01-06) (aged 43)
Place of death	Little Elm, Texas, United States
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1986–1988	ACB Lagos	?	(?)
1988–1991	KRC Mechelen	?	(?)
1991–1992	UR Namur	?	(?)
1992–1993	Le Touquet AC	?	(?)
1993–1994	Hannover 96	4	(0)
1994	União de Leiria	0	(0)
1995	Ironi Ashdod	13	(0)
1995–1996	Farense	0	(0)
1996–2000	Kansas City Wizards	109	(3)
National team
1988–1998	Nigeria	34	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Okafor's club career took him to many countries[2] before he settled in the USA. Okafor was drafted to Kansas City Wizards in the ninth round of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft, and played there for five seasons before retiring after the 2000 season.

International career

Okafor played every match when Nigeria won the 1994 African Cup of Nations, but sustained an ankle injury shortly thereafter. He was part of the squad to the 1994 World Cup but did not get any playing time. He played one out of their four games in the 1998 World Cup, though, as well as at the 1988 Olympics.

Post-playing career

Okafor coached for the Associated Soccer Group,[3] a member of the North Texas Soccer Association. He was head coach for the 91 Gold Central boys team and the 93 HP Central boys team who play in the Plano Premier Select Soccer league.

Okafor was a regular pundit on African football on ESPN's coverage and their PressPass programme.

Death

Okafor's body was discovered by his wife in January 2011 shortly after he returned home from dropping off his daughter in school in their house in Little Elm, a town about 30 miles northwest of Dallas. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said that he hanged himself in an upstairs hallway. Okafor's family rejected the suicide ruling of the Little Elm Police Department, suspecting foul play.[4]

Kent Babb, reporter for the Kansas City Star, published an in-depth analysis of Uche's death on 19 May 2012.[5]

Honours

Kansas City Wizards

• MLS Cup: 2000
• Supporters' Shield: 2000

References

External links

• Uche Okafor Archived 13 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Nigerian Players
• Uche Okafor at National-Football-Teams.com

На других языках

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[de] Uche Okafor (Fußballspieler, 1967)

Uchenna Kizito Okafor (* 8. August 1967 in Owerri; † 6. Januar 2011 in Little Elm, Texas, Vereinigte Staaten) war ein nigerianischer Fußballspieler. Er nahm an der Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 1994 in den USA sowie an der Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 1998 in Frankreich teil.

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- [en] Uche Okafor

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[fr] Uche Okafor

Uchenna Kizito Okafor dit Uche Okafor est un footballeur international nigérian né le 8 août 1967 à Owerri, et mort le 6 janvier 2011 à 43 ans à Little Elm[1]. Durant sa carrière de joueur, il occupe le poste de défenseur central.

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[it] Uche Okafor

Uchenna Kizito Okafor (Owerri, 8 agosto 1967 – Dallas, 6 gennaio 2011) è stato un calciatore nigeriano, di ruolo difensore.

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[ru] Окафор, Уче

Уче Кизито Окафор (англ. Uchenna Kizito Okafor; 8 августа 1967 года в Оверри, Нигерия — 6 января 2011 года, Литл-Элм[en], Техас, США) — нигерийский футболист, защитник, известный по выступлениям за «Канзас-Сити Уизардз» и сборную Нигерии. Участник Чемпионатов мира 1994 и 1998 годов.

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