SAD! Ex-Nigeria U17 coach Willy Bazuaye dies at 79

The former Golden Eaglets trainer passed away in Benin after losing his more than a decade long battle with stroke on Monday morning Former head coach of Nigeria's U17 male national team, Willy Bazuaye has died after a 12-years battle with stroke in Benin on Monday. He was aged 79. The Edo-born tactician, who terminated his services with the Nigeria Police Force after 19 years to build a successful career in football, became a household name as part of the technical crew at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996 when he led the Nigerian gold-winning U23 team to victory. Bazuaye, who led the Golden Eaglets to its maiden victory in China in 1985, died at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin after a strange ailment that struck him in 2003 struck left him partially paralyzed. A source in Benin confirmed that the ex-international and former Eaglets coach had passed on. "Willy Bazuaye died this morning. It's a terrible loss to the country's football." Bazuaye last appeared in the spotlight when he participated in the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" television celebrity show.