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Peter Rufai, A Patriotic Sportsman Who Wrote His Name In Gold - Tinubu
https://osazuwaakonedo.news/peter-rufai-a-patriotic-sportsman-who-wrote-his-name-in-gold-tinubu/04/07/2025/
#Sports #football #Peter #Rufai ©July 4th, 2025 ®July 5, 2025 2:35 pm Nigeria President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has joined millions of sports lovers in Nigeria and across the globe to mourn the death of ex Super Eagles iconic goalkeeper, Peter Rufai fondly called Dodomayana, with the President describing the Football Legend as a great patriotic citizen who hailed from a Royal family and brushed aside the glamour and privileges of a Royal family to become one of the first set of professional football players in Nigeria and one of the patriotic Sportsmen who wrote their names in gold in the annals of sports in Nigeria and Africa continent in general. #OsazuwaAkonedo
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0:00
Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tonubu has
0:03
joined millions of sports lovers in
0:05
Nigeria and across the globe to mourn
0:07
the death of ex super eagles iconic
0:09
goalkeeper Peter Rufi fondly called
0:12
Donayana with the president describing
0:14
the football legend as a great patriotic
0:17
citizen who hailed from a royal family
0:19
and brushed aside the glamour and
0:21
privileges of a royal family to become
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one of the first set of professional
0:25
football players in Nigeria and one of
0:27
the patriotic sportsmen who wrote the
0:29
gains in gold in the annals of sports in
0:32
Nigeria and Africa continent in general.
0:35
According to President Bola Ahmed Tonubu
0:37
in a press release issued by the
0:39
presidential spokesperson, Beo Onuger
0:42
and made available soon after the death
0:44
of Peter Rufi was announced on Thursday
0:46
evening, Peter Rufi was an ineitable
0:49
goalkeeper. In quotes, the statement
0:52
reads, "President Bola Ahmed Tonubu
0:54
expresses great sadness at the passing
0:56
of legendary Super Eagles goalkeeper
0:59
Peter Rufi, who was 61. The president
1:02
condols with the Rufi family, friends,
1:05
and football enthusiasts on the demise
1:07
of the inimitable goalkeeper fondly
1:10
called Dodayana by his numerous fans and
1:13
football lovers all over Nigeria.
1:16
President Tonubu notes that Peter Rufi
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would be remembered as one of those
1:20
patriotic sportsmen who wrote the names
1:22
in gold in the sporting annals of
1:24
Nigeria and the African continent. I
1:27
recall with fond memories the heroic
1:29
contributions of Peter Rufi in the
1:31
historic victory of the Super Eagles at
1:33
the 1994 edition of the Africa Cup of
1:37
Nations in Tunisia as the first choice
1:39
goalkeeper followed up with Nigeria's
1:41
equally epoch making first appearance at
1:44
the FIFA World Cup competition dubbed
1:47
USA 94. Rufi was also a strong member of
1:51
the team at the subsequent edition of
1:53
the competition in France in 1998.
1:57
Having started his career with
1:58
stationary stores of Lagos in 1980, Rufi
2:02
was one of the earliest footballers in
2:04
Nigeria to go professional playing in
2:06
many European countries including
2:08
Belgium, Spain, Portugal and the
2:11
Netherlands, bringing honor to the
2:13
nation and opening a new window of
2:15
opportunities for young footballers in
2:17
Nigeria. President Tonubu says after he
2:20
retired from active football, Peter, a
2:23
prince of the royal house in Adimu,
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Lagos, set up the Staruof Football
2:28
Academy where he continued to inspire,
2:30
mentor, and nurture young footballers.
2:33
President Tonubu praised for comfort for
2:35
all who mourn Rufi's loss and for the
2:38
repose of Rufi Sue. July 3rd, 2025 was
2:42
more or less like a black Thursday for
2:44
football lovers across the globe as the
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death of the Nigerian legend comes as a
2:49
dark day for the global football
2:51
community. It also coincided with the
2:53
sudden passing of a Portugalborn
2:55
Liverpool forward Dio Jota who died in a
2:58
car crash in Spain alongside his
3:01
brother. Multiple reports indicated that
3:03
Peter Rufi passed away in the early
3:06
hours of Thursday after a prolonged
3:08
illness. According to close family and
3:10
friends, a post on the official Super
3:13
Eagles X page also confirmed the death.
3:16
Forever in our hearts, Dodo Mayana, we
3:20
mourn the passing of legendary Super
3:22
Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufi, a giant of
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Nigerian football and a 1994 AFCON
3:28
champion. Your legacy lives on between
3:31
the sticks and beyond. Rest well, Peter
3:34
Rufi. Nigeria Football Federation, NFF
3:38
in a statement said, "This is really,
3:41
really shocking." Nigerian Football
3:43
Federation's general secretary, Muhammad
3:45
Senusi said in Abuja. Peter Rufi dead.
3:50
What happened? I am perplexed. We did
3:52
not even know that he had been ill. We
3:55
earnestly pray to the Almighty God to
3:57
grant him eternal rest and to comfort
3:59
all his loved ones as well as the entire
4:02
Nigeria football family. Many media
4:05
reported that the superstar goalkeeper
4:07
who was in and out of the Nigeria senior
4:09
team for 17 years had been ill for some
4:13
weeks before giving up the ghost at the
4:15
Lagos hospital at about 6:00 a.m. on
4:18
Thursday. It ruled that Rufi made his
4:20
debut for then Green Eagles in a
4:22
friendly match in December 1981 and won
4:26
the Africa Cup of Nation silver in 1984
4:29
and 1988 before Nigeria swept to glory
4:32
in the continental finals in Tunisia in
4:35
1994.
4:37
He was the first choice goalkeeper in
4:39
the three championships. The highly
4:41
praised goalkeeper also kept goals for
4:43
Nigeria in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World
4:48
Cup finals. The Super Eagles made the
4:50
round of 16 on both occasions and
4:52
dedicated his postretirement days to
4:55
discovering and mentoring young players.
4:57
He also served as the coordinator of the
5:00
Nigeria under23 team at a time. Rufi was
5:04
also reported to be an extraordinary
5:06
figure at Lagos Club Stationary Stores
5:09
with whom he reached the final of the
5:11
Africa Cup Winners Cup competition in
5:13
1981.
5:15
He also played professionally in
5:16
Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and
5:19
Spain. Born on the 24th of August 1963
5:24
in a shoddy Lagos state, Peter Rufi rose
5:27
from a royal lineage. His father was a
5:29
king in Adimu. Pulse Sports reported
5:32
that despite having the chance to assume
5:34
his father's throne after his passing in
5:37
1998, Rufi chose to remain committed to
5:40
football, a sport that brought him fame
5:42
and national pride. Rufi's professional
5:45
journey began with Nigeria's stationary
5:47
stores and feos scorpions before moving
5:50
abroad to play for clubs in Benin
5:52
Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands,
5:54
Portugal, and Spain. His European club
5:58
career included stints with KSC Locan,
6:01
KSK Baver, Go-Ahead Eagles, SC Ference,
6:05
Hercules CF, Deportivo Naruna, and Gil
6:08
Vicente. He retired in 2000 after a two
6:12
decade long career. On the international
6:15
stage, Rufi earned 65 caps for Nigeria
6:19
and was a central figure in the Super
6:20
Eagles squad that won the 1994 Africa
6:24
Cup of Nations in Tunisia. He also
6:27
represented Nigeria at the 1994 and 1998
6:31
FIFA World Cups and remains one of the
6:33
few goalkeepers to score a goal for the
6:35
national team, converting a penalty
6:38
against Ethiopia in 1993.
6:41
In retirement, Rufi founded the Starf
6:44
Football Academy in Lagos, mentoring
6:46
aspiring footballers and giving back to
6:48
the sport that made him a legend. He is
6:51
survived by his wife Mikaila Rufi and
6:54
children including sonbati who briefly
6:58
played for sunshine stars in the
6:59
Nigerian top flight.
7:04
bringing you the news in a more digital
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[Music]
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