One of the most travelled and experienced coaches in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), Coach Justin Tenger, has passed away after several months of battle with an undisclosed ailment.
He died yesterday morning at the Federal Medical Centre Keffi where he was on life support for several weeks.
His death was announced by his son, Timothy Tersoo Tenger, who informed the Benue State Sports Stakeholders Forum of the unfortunate incident.
He said “It is with total submission to the will of God that I want to inform you of the passing of our father this morning (yesterday). He fought a good fight and we did all we could to keep him alive but God decided it was time for him to go home.
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“We are all saddened by this but we believe our father is in a better place. We are also consoled by the fact that he lived a fulfilled life.”
It will be recalled that after his active playing career in the Nigerian Army and BBL Hawks of Makurdi where he was a captain, Tenger who was a seminarian went for a coaching course at the National Institute for Sports (NIS) in Lagos.
At the completion of his training, he was employed by the Benue State Sports Council and posted to his hometown Adikpo in Kwande Local Government where he coached the defunct Sir Akpoo System FC.
Thereafter, he went on to coach a number of clubs within and outside Benue State.
Late Tenger coached the defunct BCC Lions of Gboko, Katsina United, Lobi Stars, Kano Pillars, Niger Tornadoes, Wikki Tourists, Kwara United, Gombe United, Akwa United before returning to Lobi Stars where he finally retired.
The Benue State Stakeholders who a few days ago supported Tenger with the sum of N100,000, described his death as a monumental loss to Nigerian football.
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