He brought joy to millions of football loving fans when he led a bunch of then unknown players to win for Nigeria the Kodak U-16 World Cup -- the first ever FIFA sanctioned age-grade competition that would later metamorphose into the FIFA U-17 World Cup as we know it today.
Nigeria, parading the likes of Nduka Ugbade (captain), Jonathan Akpoborie, Bobolayefa Edon, Victor Igbinoba, Binebi Numa, Fatai Atere, to mention but a few, had shocked the world with their exciting brand of football, beating a strong German side (then known as West Germany), to lift the trophy that was presented by then FIFA president, Joao Havelange.
The achievement made Sebastian Brodericks the first ever coach to win the World Cup --at any age-grade category -- for Nigeria and the African continent as a whole.
That performance would firmly lay the foundation upon which the game has thrived on the continent with many of the products of such championships going on to achieve great things for themselves and countries in some of the biggest football leagues across the world.
Nigeria has since gone on to win four more of that championship in a manner that has been described as unprecedented in the annals of the competition.
Managers like Ambassador Fanny Amun, Professor Yemi Tella (now deceased), Manu Garba and Emmanuel Amuneke have since followed in his footsteps to take the country's total wins in the competition to five.
Nigeria has continued to benefit from the competition up till this day as it has become a platform to blood talents for the senior national team, the Super Eagles.
But Sebastian Brodericks, with all of such achievements, stands the risk of dying as a nobody as he continues to suffer the debilitating effects of a strange ailment which has knocked him down for months now.
A recent visit to his home in his native Benin City, Edo State was a revealing experience as the once vivacious coach was in a very pathetic shape, lying prostrate in bed and groaning intermittently from pains which he said started from his legs and cant even feed directly by himself. The strange situation has placed the entire family in a bad situation.
According to his wife, he has been in that state for months as he can neither stand on his feet nor walk. She disclosed that what started small as a niggling pain in his left leg has now grown so big to the level that it has totally incapacitated the once healthy coach, nicknamed 'Sabara.'
The wife also told Weekly Sports Review (WSR) reporters on enquiry that they have been unable to get outside help to save the life of the family patriarch despite months of trying to reach out.
"My husband's situation is desperate. He needs urgent medical attention and this can only happen if the sports and football authorities like the Honourable Minister for Sports, the Executive Governor of Edo state , the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation and public spirited Nigerians can intervene at the earliest possible time," she said.
She also confirmed that there has neither been any direct official responses from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the Edo State Government nor the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Sports till date.
A few stakeholders who have keenly followed the coach's sickness saga in the last few months say it is unfortunate that a man of Broderick's calibre would be literally abandoned to his fate without any form of sympathy or support in his time of need.
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