News
2005 Silver-winning U-20 World Cup player passes on
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Forward, Gift Atulewa is dead at the age of 38 according to reports on Tuesday.
The silver medal-winning player at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup died as a result of compilations from high blood pressure, according to Azuka Chiaka.
Atulewa’s wife was buried last month, and his death might be connected to that of his wife, according to a close source in the family.
“We just buried the wife last month, which may have contributed to the development,” Delta State Football Association Spokesperson told Premium Times.
“He has blood pressure issues, but he has been managing it; just a day before yesterday, the condition became bad, and he was taken to the hospital.
“They noticed he had malaria but aside from that, the blood pressure kept going up. We lost him on Tuesday morning by 7:00 am.”
Atulewa recently returned from a coaching course abroad before his sudden demise.
He was part of the Flying Eagles squad, which reached the final of the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where Samson Siasia’s side lost 2-1 to Argentina thanks to Lionel Messi’s master class.
