According to the Twitter feed of the NFF (@thenff), the four-time coach of the Super Eagles complained of chest pains on Friday night and died in his sleep. Shuaibu’s death comes three days after that of Stephen Keshi, also a former coach of Nigeria’s senior national team. Keshi assisted Amodu at the 2002 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Mali.Despite his remarkable achievements as Super Eagles coach, the Edo State-born coach had a turbulent relationship with Nigerian football fans and his employers. Under his stewardship, Nigeria qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but Amodu was sacked despite the team’s third place finish at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.
It was the second time he had been removed from his post ahead of a World Cup finals tournament – Amodu was also fired ahead of the 2002 edition after Nigeria finished third at the 2002 Nations Cup in Mali.
Despite guiding Nigeria to the semi-finals, the team’s style of play, his tactics and key decisions were all questioned during these tournaments.
Born April 1958, Amodu played as a striker for Dumez and Niger Tornadoes. He managed a number of club sides in Nigeria, such as BCC Lions, El-Kanemi Warriors, and Shooting Stars; he also managed Orlando Pirates in South Africa.
His first call with the Nigerian national team from April 2001 to February 2002 ended abruptly after he received a formal letter confirming his dismissal. He was later re-appointed manager in April 2008. In December 2009, the NFF stated that Amodu was under pressure and in February 2010, he was shown the exit door a second time.
He was appointed technical director of Nigeria’s national teams in May 2013. After Amodu was appointed the technical director, he said: “It’s a call to serve the nation. I hope we can all come together and drive our football in a positive direction. The role is an important one as it serves as the fundamental for the country’s football. We need the support of everyone to excel.”
He led Nigeria to the AFCON bronze medal at Mali 2002 and Angola 2010. He also won Nigerian FA Cup titles with BCC Lions of Gboko and El Kanemi Warriors on multiple occasions
