Just two months after declaring that he was ill as a result of the death of his wife, Ismaila Mabo, the former head coach of the Nigerian women’s national team, Super Falcons, passed away at 78.
The captain of the Mighty Jets of Jos and former international passed away early on Monday morning at his home in Jos. He is scheduled to be buried soon after, in accordance with Islamic customs.
After guiding the Super Falcons to the quarterfinals of the 1999 tournament shortly after his appointment, Mabo is regarded as one of the most successful Nigerian coaches in women’s football.
It is Nigeria’s best performance at a Women’s World Cup to date, and he also led the team at the Australian Summer Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.
He left the team in 2002 but returned two years later to lead Super Falcons at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games in Greece.