Ismaila Mabo’s contribution to Nigerian football is unquantifiable, says Dare

Sunday Dare, the sports and youth development minister, on Monday, expressed sadness over the death of Ismaila Mabo, the former Super Falcons coach.

Mabo passed on in the early hours of Monday at his home in Jos, Plateau state after a protracted illness.

“Ismaila Mabo’s contribution to Nigerian football is unquantifiable. He stayed long even after retirement to give back to the sport he loved so much,” Dare said in a statement.

“He lived an impactful life and a special space is reserved for him when the history of Nigerian football development is written. As a school boy, he represented Nigeria and after his active career, coached the Super Falcons to their most impressive spell both on the continent and globally.”

The minister also prayed for God to give Ismaila’s family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Mabo was widely considered the Falcons’ most successful head coach after leading the team to the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup where the team reached the quarterfinals — Nigeria’s best-ever performance at the competition.

Prior to that, he also led the Falcons to their first-ever African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) win, where the team scored 28 goals and none conceded to lift the maiden edition of the competition in Ijebu Ode.

Mabo was also in charge of the AWCON title defence in South Africa two years later.

He took the team to the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics.