The Head Coach of Lobi Star Football Club of Benue, Eddy Dombraye, says his wife and son are currently stranded in Ukraine.
There has been crisis since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last Thursday, forcing over 500,000 persons to flee.
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In an interview, Dombraye, told TheCable, an online newspaper, that his wife and 5-year-old kid were stuck at the train station.
“I have two kids and one of them is in Poland. He is a Polish citizen while the other one who is 5-year-old is currently with my wife,” he said.
“I followed the crisis on CNN since the first day it started. My wife and I thought the war will not escalate as we never anticipated it was ever going to happen. Even my wife said there would be no fight or war. Now, she is blaming herself and I am also blaming myself, wishing they had relocated earlier.
“The worst part of it is that she has a Nigeria visa already. She was supposed to return as her flight originally was supposed to be yesterday to Nigeria, so, everything is so painful.
“We were both residing there. I have lived there since 2002. I based there like a dual citizen but moved down to Nigeria when I got the job as Lobi Star head coach in Nigeria. I have always wanted to come to Nigeria to coach. So, when I returned to Nigeria, I asked my wife to hold on for a few months until I am properly settled in the new space.
“Their flight was supposed to be yesterday. I returned to Nigeria on 6th of September 2021 as Lobi Stars football coach of Makurdi in the Nigerian Professional Football League ( NPFL).”
The 42-year-old also expressed concerns over his inability to rescue his family, adding that “this is the worst thing to happen to any parent.”
“As a football coach, I am trying to put on a brave face when I go out to meet my players but when I am indoors, it’s a different thing. It’s not like I am crying but I am feeling bad because I can’t actually do anything. With my 5-year-old kid trapped in a crisis area and I can’t help, It’s very bad. That is the worst thing to happen to any parent,” he said.
“Yesterday, they were at home and today we decided to board the train that will take them to Lviv, a border town close to Poland so that my 18-year-old son who lives in Poland as a citizen would pick them up but the train was cancelled. They are currently looking for other alternatives to get there.
“I am worried because getting there is about 12 hours and it’s not a fast train.”
He is a retired Nigerian professional football striker.
He was appointed as the head coach of Club Lobi Stars Of Makurdi I’m September,2021.
