Thompson Oliha (4 October 1968 – 30 June 2013) was a Nigerian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for clubs in Africa and Europe during an injury-shortened career.

Club career

Oliha played for Bendel Insurance (1985–1987),

Iwuanyanwu Nationale Heartland Football Club, founded as Spartans F.C., later known as Iwuanyanwu Nationale from 1985 to 2006, is a Nigerian football club based in Owerri. The team play their home games at Dan Anyiam Stadium (and the Okigwe Stadium as their tempora ...

(1988–1991),

Africa Sports Africa Sports d'Abidjan is a multi-sports club based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. History The club was founded in 1947. Sports The club contains teams in the sports of track and field, handball, basketball, and association football. Of these, th ...

(1992–1993), Maccabi Ironi Ashdod (1993–1994) and

Antalyaspor Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional multi-sport club based in Antalya, southern Turkey. The club's colours are red and white. The association football, football side play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the cl ...

(1994–1995). As a player, he was known for his powerful shots and abilities in the air. Oliha retired at the age of 27, as a result of a serious knee injury.

International career

Oliha made a total of 31 appearances for the full Nigeria national team, scoring two goals. He made his international debut in 1988, in a game against

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

and made his last appearance at the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...

, as a late substitute against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Oliha also played at the

1987 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from 10 to 25 October 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tourn ...

Death

Oliha died due to complications from malaria on 30 June 2013. At the time of his death he was an assistant coach for the

Kwara Football Academy Kwara Football Academy (KFA), an initiative within North Central Nigeria by the Kwara State Government . It was opened by the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Issa Hayatou in 2005. The Academy's focus is on skill development ...

.Thompson Oliha is dead
- Supersport.com

References

External links

* 1968 births 2013 deaths Footballers from Benin City Men's association football midfielders Nigerian men's footballers Nigeria men's under-20 international footballers Nigeria men's international footballers Africa Cup of Nations–winning players 1990 African Cup of Nations players 1992 African Cup of Nations players 1994 African Cup of Nations players 1994 FIFA World Cup players Bendel Insurance F.C. players Heartland F.C. players Africa Sports d'Abidjan players Maccabi Ironi Ashdod F.C. players Antalyaspor footballers Süper Lig players Nigerian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Ivory Coast Expatriate men's footballers in Israel Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Ivory Coast Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Israel Deaths from malaria 20th-century Nigerian sportsmen {{Nigeria-footy-midfielder-stub