NFF mourns Omodara, Nwaehi

The Nigeria Football Federation has expressed sadness over the deaths of former Board Member, Chief Ayo Omodara, and the Assistant Coach of the U-20 women national team, the Falconets, Chris Nwaehi, both within a few days.
Spain-based Coach Chris Nwaehi died in Lagos in the early hours of Wednesday after he was reportedly turned back at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport for not being fit enough to travel.
Chief Omodara, who served on the Board of then Nigeria Football Association in the early years of the new millennium, died in his Ekiti State home on Saturday morning after a protracted illness.
The Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Chief Emeka Inyama, said: “The deaths of both individuals came as a rude shock to the Nigeria Football Federation. Both men surely contributed their quota to the development of Nigerian football.
“Sadly, the young Chris Nwaehi was part of the impressive story of the U-20 Women National Team, Falconets, at the FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in Japan last year. The team earned effusive praise by no less a person than FIFA President Sepp Blatter for its bold and beautiful brand of football.
“Chief Omodara was a renown figure in our football for so many decades, as a referee as an administrator who later served on the Board of then NFA. We mourn both individuals and pray that Almighty God will grant them eternal rest, and also grant those they have left behind and Nigeria football the fortitude to bear the big loss.”
Born on February 26, 1936, Omodara became a Grade One referee in 1980 and retired as a FIFA graded-referee in 1989.
He was a Chairman of the Ondo State Referees Council.
He was a Board Member of the Ondo State Sports Council and later served as Chairman of Ekiti State Referees
Council after the birth of the new state and was a member of the Technical Committee of the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.