The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare and the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Nigeria Premier Football League have expressed deep sorrow over the death, on Monday, of former Nigeria defender and an accomplished coach of the Super Falcons, Pa Ismaila Mabo. He was 80.
Reports said Mabo died in the early hours of Monday after a protracted illness.
“The death of Pa Ismaila Mabo came to me as a huge shock. Again, we have lost a great man and an accomplished trainer-of-trainers in the Nigeria Football fraternity, and my heart goes out to his immediate family and the other loved ones he has left behind.
“Mabo laid down a big marker for other coaches when he steered the Super Falcons to the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the USA in 1999. Yet, he was simple, humble and humane. We will miss him, but we are consoled that he left giant footprints in the sands of time and pray that God will grant him eternal rest,” President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau said.
According to the Sports Minister, “His contribution to the game is unquantifiable. He stayed long even after retirement to give back to the round leather game.”
The Minister further said, “Pa Ismaila Mabo lived an impactful life and a special space is reserved for him when the history of Nigerian football development is written.”
“As a school boy, he represented Nigeria and after his active football career, he coached the Super Falcons to their most impressive spell both on the continent and globally.”
Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, the Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Interim Management Committee (IMC) said news of the pioneer coach of the Super Falcons was received with shock but with submission to the will of God.
“We received the news of his death this morning and consider it as a great loss not only to his immediate family, sports in Plateau State, but Nigeria as a whole in view of his pathfinding contributions to the establishment and overall development of women football in the country and Africa at large.”
A gifted central defender, Mabo started as a schoolboy international with the Nigeria academicals team that broke the chain of Ghana’s constant whipping of Nigerian teams, when they defeated Ghana’s academicals 1-0 in Accra on 13th February 1966. It was the first time any Nigerian team would defeat a Ghanaian football team on Ghanaian soil.
After that accomplishment, Mabo joined Mighty Jets of Jos and was part of that club’s famous squad of the late 1960s and 1970s. He also featured for the senior national team, making his debut in a 1972 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Congo in Brazzaville on 22nd November 1970.
Mabo was the coach when the Super Falcons defeated North Korea 3-2, lost to USA and defeated Denmark 2-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1999.
