Peter Fregene, a 75-year-old Nigerian goalkeeper who held in defence, the country’s goal line against other nations in various tournaments has been left to suffer a mysterious disorder amid denied entitlements by the government.
Also known as ‘The Flying Cat’, Fregene was a goalkeeper for the national team between 1966 to 1983.
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The death of Brazil football legend, Pele, compelled some sympathisers to question why the Nigeria’s football star is abandoned in his most challenging years.
Professor Hope Eghagha, a Professor at the University of Lagos in a Twitter post, lamented that the one-time national team goalkeeper is in sympathetic condition and needs every means to stay alive.
“While the world, including Nigeria, fittingly celebrated the passing of football icon Pele, here is a one-time goalkeeper of our National Team from 1966 to 1983, Peter Fregene AKA The Flying Cat languishing in penury!”
The former goalkeeper had on several occasions pleaded for assistance to undergo some medical treatments that may help him walk again.
He has been in a miserable condition for over two decades ago, having been paralysed since 2001.
The once popular goalkeeper and role model for Nigerian youths is now a complete shadow of himself and experiences difficulty in breathing, speaking and excreting.
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Born in Sapele, Fregene played club football for Lagos rivals ECN and Stationery Stores F.C. during a career that spanned the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He won the Nigerian FA Cup with both ECN and Stationery Stores.
He was the first-choice goalkeeper for the Nigeria national football team from 1968 to 1971, before being recalled for the 1982 African Cup of Nations finals. He also represented Nigeria at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
At the peak of his career, Fregene was first choice goal tender for the national team between 1968 and 1971, representing the country at the 1968 Olympic Games and was recalled to the Green Eagles for the 1982 African Cup of Nations in Libya, after over a decade out of the national team, according to Punch.
On retirement, Fregene had ventured into discovering and grooming young footballers until October 19, 2001, when he was paralysed as a result of a spinal cord injury leading to the legend being bedridden for over two decades.
Tina Peter Fregene, his wife told WikkiTimes that her husband has been bedridden for 23 years and can only walk with a wheelchair.
According to her, the legend has been denied his entitlement and does not get anything from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Tina lamented that it is pitiful that government could neglect such a hero who strived for the nation’s victories in several tournaments.
As a retiree from the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), Fregene gets a very small amount as a pension. According to his wife, the pension is too too small for the ailing football legend.
For those who want to support the septuagenarian football legend, his wife could be reached via this line 08059575815.
Efforts to reach NFF proved abortive as contacts made available on its official website were not reachable. At press time, an enquiry sent to the nation’s football body had not been responded to.
