Former Super Eagles Player Isaac Promise Is Dead, NFF Mourns

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Former Nigeria international Isaac Promise has died his American professional soccer team Austin Bold announced on Thursday.

Promise, 31, died on Tuesday from complications due to heart failure several media reports suggest.

The Kaduna-born attacker joined Austin Bold in 2018 but spent most of his 14-year career in the Turkish Super Lig where he turned out for the likes of Trabzonspor, Manisaspor and Antalyaspor.

Issac Promise was a product of Nigeria’s age-grade football system and captained the U17, U20 and U23 national teams at various times during his career.

He made his Super Eagles debut in 2009 and earned three caps under former Super Eagles manager Samson Siasia.

He scored a total of 77 club goals during his active career.

Reacting to the untimely death of the former international, the Nigeria Football Federation described his passing as ‘shocking’.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said the Federation and indeed the entire Nigerian Football was greatly saddened by the report, coming less than 48 hours after two women footballers of Nigeria Women Professional League side, Police Female Machine FC of Uyo were crushed to death by a hit-and-run Jeep driver after a training session in the Akwa Ibom State capital.

“This has been a tragic week for Nigerian Football. Isaac Promise was a very disciplined, energetic, committed and patriotic player who gave his all everytime he put on the green-and-white.

“We do not know yet the cause of death, but we mourn his untimely passing at such a young age. Our prayer is that Almighty God will grant his soul eternal rest and also grant those he has left behind the fortitude to bear the big loss.”

Promise was captain of the Nigeria U20 squad that won the 2005 African Youth Championship (later renamed U20 Cup of Nations) in Benin Republic with a flourish and finished as runner-up at the FIFA U20 World Cup in The Netherlands the same year, losing narrowly to Argentina (complete with Lionel Messi) in the final.

He also captained the Nigeria U23 team that won silver medals at the men’s football tournament of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, again finishing second behind Lionel Messi-led Argentina.