Former Super Eagles goalkeeper and coach Joe Erico dies at 72

Nigerian football has been thrown into mourning following the death of former Super Eagles goalkeeper and coach Joe Erico who died on Thursday, January 21, 2021.
According to reports, Erico, who was 72, died after complaining of a stomach ache the previous night and the morning of his death.

He is survived by his wife and four children.

A close family member Tomiwa Aghedo told Goal that the former coach was rushed to the hospital where he was tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Erico began his football career with the Nigerian Police Force before playing for NEPA, Nigeria Railways, Electricity Connectors of Nigeria and Julius Berger.

He got a national team call up in 1968 and represented Nigeria at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ethiopia for coach Tiko Jelisavcic.

He played in some games as Nigeria finished third in the tournament. A few years later, his football career came to an end following a significant injury he sustained while on international duty.

After his playing career, he went into coaching and was In charge of his boyhood club Julius Berger where he introduced the Jogo Bonito style – a distinct style of flair in Brazilian football. He got his nickname ‘Jongo Bonito’ because of his preferred style of play with Julius Berger.

He got a national team coaching job later and was part of the crew as a goalkeeper trainer that took Nigeria’s U23 through a successful qualification to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He was however sacked on the eve of the tournament.
Two years later, he got another national team job and was part of the triumvirate along with Amodu Shuaibu and Stephen Keshi that qualified Nigeria for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and AFCON of the same year.

That coaching crew took Nigeria to a third-place finish but was immediately axed.