His wife says the 86-year-old, who is being treated in Arnhem, wants to live and needs prayers.
Former Super Eagles coach Clemens Westerhof has been left in critical condition following a colon cancer diagnosis in the Netherlands, according to his wife Lilian, who spoke to Vanguard on Friday night. The 86-year-old is receiving treatment at Rijnstate Hospital in Arnhem, his hometown.
Lilian said Westerhof was taken to the hospital on Wednesday. She described the cancer diagnosis as a fresh challenge in his health struggles. Before this diagnosis, he had been battling Alzheimer's disease.
Lilian's account of the doctor's news is blunt: "The doctor just told us he has colon cancer and we are all devastated." She said he is in critical condition and emotional, talking about their two daughters, and that he wants to live.
Her appeal was direct: "We need help. We need prayers."
Westerhof, who turned 86 in May, is widely credited with helping to transform Nigerian football during his time as Super Eagles coach. Daily Trust says he spent five years as national team coach. He led Nigeria to qualify for its first-ever World Cup in 1994, and the team won the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia the same year. Daily Trust adds that the title ended a 14-year drought for Nigeria. Under him, Nigeria finished second at the 1990 AFCON and took bronze in 1992. Under his watch, the national side also climbed to No. 5 in FIFA's global ranking.
Lilian was also worried about the care he is getting at the Arnhem hospital:
"They appear to have given up. I don't understand."
The family wants to move him to a better-equipped hospital in Amsterdam or Germany. Daily Trust reports Lilian's plea that her husband "urgently needs your prayers, love, and support during this very difficult time."
No comments yet