Yemi Tella (c. 1951 – 20 October 2007) was the coach of the Nigerian football team that won the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[1] He was awarded the title of 2007 African coach of the year.[2]

Tella, a former lecturer at the National Institute for Sports in Lagos, had been diagnosed with lung cancer when he led his team to a pre-World Cup eight-nation tournament in South Korea in June 2007.

A month before his death, he was awarded the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic medal - an important honour - for his achievement, by the Nigerian president Umaru Yar'Adua. [3]

Tella spent the last two weeks of his life at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital. He died on 20 October 2007, aged 56.

References

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  1. ^ "Adieu, Yemi Tella". Nigerian Newsday. 12 November 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Kanoute, Africa's Best". Daily Guide. 4 February 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  3. ^ "Nigeria under-17 coach dies". 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
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