Sports

Lee Evans Must Not Die – Appeal to the US Government

Published

5 years ago

May 13, 2021

Eric

By Segun Odegbami

Mr. Lee Edward Evans is dying.

Yet, he must not die without being given every chance to live. Particularly because he is an American, the greatest country in the world, a world renowned former athlete and coach, an American sports hero, and a member of the USA Athletics Hall of Fame.

During his years running in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a ‘god’, loved and celebrated around the world. Lee was what Usain Bolt became at his most popular, but short of the flamboyance, publicity and the fortunes of the present days.

Lee Edward Evans was the first human to break the 45-seconds barrier for the 400 metres event when he was just 21. Thereafter, he broke 11 world records over different distances during his career as a sprints athlete. When he broke the World record in 400 metres for the last time it was at the 1968 Olympic Games where he won two solid Gold medals. That record stood for 20 years and was only broken by Michael Johnson who had to cover the distance at an almost, humanly impossible even-pace unseen before, or since, in athletics.

Lee’s second Olympic Gold medal was in the 4 × 400 m relay race.

After his career as an athlete Lee became one of the greatest sprints coaches in the world, following the template of his coach and mentor, another Hall of Famer, Lloyd Bud Winters. Lee has travelled the world working in different countries including Nigeria where he worked the longest and has coached a legion of some of Nigeria’s greatest athletes in history.

He is a pioneer member of the Olympic project for Human Rights.

In short, Lee Edward Evans is a true American legendary sports hero. He has been supporting me now for 2 years as a volunteer coach of young boys and girls at the Segun Odegbami International College and Sports Academy, SOCA, in Wasimi Orile, Ogun State, and transforming young lives positively.

I am writing this on Wednesday night In Abeokuta. I have just returned from probably the best hospital in Ogun State, Nigeria, at the moment – Babcock University Teaching hospital, Ilishan.

Lee Evans is lying in the Emergency ward of the hospital, attached to several tubes and gadgets, unconscious in the past three days.

Three days ago, we were having dinner outdoors with a few friends in Abeokuta, when he passed out suddenly on his seat at the table. It has become a nightmarish experience. Needless to go into the details.

Earlier today, the results of numerous tests carried out by the hospital revealed that he has suffered an unusual kind of stroke, with clots lodged in a blood vessel in his brain. He has not regained consciousness since then.

I was told that short of a miracle there is little more the hospital can do for him from the prognosis. At best it will manage him and provide palliatives.

For 2 days, with no access to the contacts on his phone, I was lost, unable to contact his family abroad. In the last few hours, with the help of a few of his American friends and some Nigerian former athletes, I have now made contact with his children in the US.

Yet, I am still alone here trying to manage the critical health situation of one of the greatest athletes not just in American history, but in the world’s, within the extremely limited Nigerian healthcare system.

The past 24 hours have been traumatic. I finally managed to reach a duty officer in the American Embassy in Lagos and reported Lee’s condition. Unfortunately, the embassy is not operating regular service as a result of the 2-days Ramadan holiday, so I could not accomplish much. I am required to keep updating the embassy on his condition.

As I write this, however, I am at my wits end. I just left the man lying unconsciousness on a bed in Ilishan, on life-support, medical tubes all over his body, an oxygen tank by his bed, breathing apparatus covering his face, indicating that he is now on life-support, and the resignation on the faces of the hardworking medical teams in the Babcock University Teaching Hospital working hard to make him as comfortable as possible.

The man must not die this cheaply. No one dies like a chicken in America anymore. That should not happen to any citizen of the most advanced country in the world, least of all their own citizen, a hero and celebrated global sports ambassador. America owes itself the responsibility to get Lee Evans to the best medical facility on earth in the United States, immediately.

Some 15 years ago, or so, my mother was diagnosed with cancer at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, sent back home with me, and given a maximum of six months to live. She was in her 80s.

Wole and Toyin, my younger siblings, insisted we disregard the prognosis, give her the opportunity of a secondary opinion and better healthcare system, and bring her to the UK. Thats what we did in faith.

It took a few surgeries and treatment, but in the end, with modern medicine and technology, 11 months in and out of hospital, the miracle happened, and our mother returned to Nigeria completely whole again. She lived for 11 additional years before she eventually died.

My mother is the source of my present hope in the medical ‘miracles’. But every expected miracle must be preceded by a step of faith.

That is what I humbly ask of the American Government now – to step in immediately and evacuate Lee Evans to the United States of America and give him a chance to survive his present, critical medical situation. To waste any time beyond the immediate will not be good enough. To leave him in Nigeria is to sign his death warrant.

Lee’s life matters. He can be saved if the United States government acts TODAY!

I can be reached at any time.

Sports

AFCON 2025: CAS Overturns CAF Verdict

Published

1 week ago

March 25, 2026

Eric

African football has been plunged into fresh uncertainty after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) provisionally suspended a controversial ruling that stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarded it to Morocco.

In an interim decision issued on Monday, CAS accepted Senegal’s appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Board and ordered a “freeze” on the implementation of its verdict.

The move effectively places the 2025 AFCON title in legal limbo pending a full hearing.

The dispute stems from a chaotic final played in January 2026, where the Teranga Lions of Senegal defeated the hosts, the Atlas Lions of Morocco, 1–0 after extra time. The match took a dramatic turn late on when a contentious penalty was awarded to Morocco.

Although the spot kick was missed, Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch in protest, prompting confusion before play eventually resumed, and the match was concluded. Weeks later, Morocco’s federation challenged the outcome, citing provisions within AFCON regulations relating to match forfeiture.

On March 17, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled in Morocco’s favour, declaring that Senegal’s walk-off constituted a breach severe enough to forfeit the match. The result was overturned to a 3–0 victory for Morocco, with Senegal stripped of the title.

Senegal swiftly condemned the decision as unjust and escalated the matter to CAS, arguing that the sanction was disproportionate and undermined the integrity of the on-field result.

CAS has now sided, at least temporarily, with Senegal’s request for urgent intervention.

By granting provisional measures, the tribunal signalled that enforcing CAF’s ruling before a full hearing could cause irreparable harm, particularly in a case involving the revocation of a major continental title.

The immediate consequence is that AFCON 2025 currently has no officially recognised champion. The trophy remains unassigned while legal proceedings continue.

Sports

AFCON 2025: George Weah Urges CAS to Overrule CAF’s Verdict

Published

2 weeks ago

March 21, 2026

Eric

African football legend George Weah has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for stripping Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarding it to Morocco.

CAF’s Appeal Board overturned Senegal’s 1–0 victory in the Rabat final after ruling that the team’s walk-off during a late penalty incident constituted a forfeit. The result was subsequently recorded as a 3–0 win in favour of Morocco, crowning the hosts as champions.

Reacting to the decision, Weah, a former Ballon d’Or winner and three-time African Player of the Year, argued that match outcomes should be determined on the pitch, not in post-match rulings.

“In football, the referee on the pitch is the final authority. Once a match is completed, the result obtained on the field must stand,” he said.

Weah warned that overturning completed matches sets a dangerous precedent for the sport.

“There is no sporting justification to nullify a match completed under the referee’s authority.

Otherwise, we risk a slippery slope where committee decisions override on-field calls,” he added.

The former AC Milan forward further stated that the ruling undermines the integrity and credibility of African football, raising concerns over fairness and consistency.

Sports

AFCON 2025: Senegal Rejects CAF Verdict, Heads to CAS

Published

2 weeks ago

March 18, 2026

Eric

The Senegalese Football Federation has rejected the decision of the Confederation of African Football Appeal Board awarding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco and confirmed it will challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Morocco were on Tuesday crowned champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football Appeal Board overturned the result of the final against Senegal, ruling that the West African side forfeited the match following a walk-off during the game in Rabat on January 19.

CAF stated that “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.”

The decision followed a protest by Morocco after chaotic scenes late in the final, when Senegal players briefly left the pitch after a disallowed goal and a penalty awarded to the hosts, an action the appeal board ruled fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations on misconduct and forfeiture.

“With this decision, the CAF Appeals Board declared the appeal of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation admissible and accepted it.

“In doing so, the board overturned the decision rendered by the CAF Disciplinary Board, on the grounds that the appellant’s right to be heard had not been respected during the initial proceedings,” the FSF said.

According to the statement, the appeal committee ruled that the conduct of the Senegal national team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, leading to the forfeiture decision.

“The Appeals Committee also determined that the conduct of the Senegalese team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations.

“Consequently, CAF declared that the FSF had violated Article 82 and awarded the match by forfeit, with a recorded score of 3–0 in favor of the FRMF, in accordance with Article 84,” the federation stated.

Reacting to the verdict, the Senegalese federation criticised the decision, describing it as damaging to the credibility of African football.

“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces an unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision that discredits African football,” the statement added.

The federation confirmed that it would file an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will initiate, as soon as possible, an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” the statement said.

The FSF added that it remained committed to due process and would continue to inform the public as the case progresses.

“The FSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice, and will keep the public informed of the follow-up to this matter,” the statement concluded.