By Amaechi Agbo

Former Nigeria U-20 female national team, the Falconets head coach, Dan Evumena is dead.

Coach Evumena passed on on Tuesday evening after battling with an undisclosed illness.

The late tactician was Nigeria’s boss at the 2008 FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup in Chile. In the tournament, Nigeria reached the quarterfinals, losing out to France.

Apart from coaching a national side, Evumena was a former Head Coach of Nigeria Women’s Football League giants, Delta Queens.

The late sportsman was also a government employee. In 2021, he retired from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

Until his death, the deceased was the Chairman of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association – Delta State Chapter.

NFF Mourns

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation on Wednesday expressed “deep sorrow” at the death on Tuesday evening of former Head Coach of the U-20 Girls’ National Team, Dan Evumena.

“The news of Dan Evumena’s death is too hard to take. I am still in shock. This is a young trainer who has done creditably well at Club and National levels, and still had so much in his tank with which to fertilize and nurture the growth of many more women footballers.

“The death of every human being diminishes us, especially the death of every young person. He had his life in front of him. Our prayer is that Almighty God will grant him eternal life and also grant those he has left behind, particularly his young family, the fortitude to bear the big loss,” NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said in Abuja.

The former Falconets’ chief strategist was hospitalized for a few days but did not recover from the ailment.

Evumena served as Assistant Coach of the Super Falcons before his upliftment as Head Coach of the U-20 Girls. As Head Coach of the Falconets, he steered the team to the quarter finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile in 2008, before the squad lost to France.