Japan ’93 Golden Eaglets Goalkeeper Okhenoboh Suffers Stroke as Family Appeals for Help

BENIN CITY, Nigeria — Emmanuel “Maleke” Okhenoboh, first-choice goalkeeper of Nigeria’s 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning Golden Eaglets, is recovering at home after a stroke, and his siblings have appealed for assistance with medical costs.

Okhenoboh collapsed on 28 July 2026 during an Edo State Football League match. He was taken to the Military Base Hospital on Airport Road, Benin City, then referred to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where doctors diagnosed a stroke.

He spent several weeks in hospital before being discharged because the family could not keep pace with the bills. He is now at 16 Igbineweka Street, off Okhoro Road, Benin City, receiving massage and physiotherapy while confined to a sick-bed and wheelchair.

Elder brother Charles Okhenoboh said the bills had become a heavy burden. Younger brother Francis Okhenoboh asked the National Sports Commission, the Nigeria Football Federation, the Edo State Football Association, former teammates and the public to help.

“We his family members have spent a fortune to sustain his treatment this past couple of months. It has not been easy, especially when we consider the economic situation of the country. But we have to save his life. Please fellow Nigerians help us to save Maleke. He has to live.”

Okhenoboh kept goal for the side coached by Fanny Amun that won the world title in Japan about 33 years ago. That squad included Nwankwo Kanu, captain Wilson Oruma, Celestine Babayaro, Mobi Oparaku and others who later became household names.

The family listed these details for donations:

• Name: Emmanuel Okhenoboh
• Account number: 3116438356
• Bank: First Bank
• Phone: 09035709856

Charles Okhenoboh can be reached on 08025835133.

A generation of Nigerian football grew from that 1993 team. One of its goalkeepers now needs care that his relatives say they can no longer fund alone.