Emmanuel Ebiede, ex-Eagles player, dies after battling liver problem

Emmanuel Ebiede, former Super Eagles attacking midfielder, is dead.

Lisa Ebiede, the daughter of the former Nigerian youth international, confirmed his demise to TheCable on Friday night.

Lisa said the 45-year-old former SC Eendracht Aalst of Belgium player died at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) from hepatomegaly complications.

Hepatomegaly is the enlargement of the liver beyond its normal size.

“It is true. My father died this evening at RSUTH from hepatomegaly complications,” Lisa told TheCable.

“The doctors tried everything and their possible best to increase his blood pressure but it was too low for them to remove the fluids in his stomach.

“He was getting better but at some point, the treatment was not working anymore. He was just not responding to treatment.

“We thought he was getting better but it was not working. He went through so much pain. He stopped passing urine and faeces. In fact, it was just something else.

“We were just hoping on God but he’s gone to rest now.”

Lisa also commended the River state government for trying their best to keep him alive.

“River state government really came through for him to try to keep him alive. They bought a lot of things and spent money too,” she added.

Ebiede was part of the 1995 Flying Eagles squad that participated in the African Youth Championship (AYC) on home soil.

The former Sharks FC player opened his Super Eagles account under Bora Milutunovic in the 1998 pre-World Cup qualifiers against Iran.

He went on to earn two additional caps for the senior national team.

The former SC Heerenveen player is survived by a wife and three kids.