Former Super Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu has described the death of Eagles defender, Olubayo Adefemi as a big loss to both the Adefemi family and football fraternity and charged the senior national team to win their next Africa Nations Cup qualifier against Ethiopia for the late player.

Crest fallen Kanu who spoke in Lagos yesterday described Adefemi’s death as shocking, adding that the player was a budding talent who was being looked up to as one of the new forces in the new Eagles coach Samson Siasia was building.

“The news of his death came to me as a shock. He was a very good player and he was becoming a strong force in the new Eagles. I even spoke with him during the last qualifier in Abuja.

His death is a big loss to his family and football,” Kanu said

“The next match against Ethiopia is very important. They should not allow this sad event to dampen their morale but should go all out to win the match for our late colleague,” Kanu said with a heavy heart.

He reiterated an earlier position on Siasia, describing the Bayelsa-born gaffer as a good coach who was capable of driving the Eagles to an enviable height even as he hailed the Flying Eagles defeat of Ghana’s U-20 team at the on-going African Youth Championship in South Africa.

“The team (Flying Eagles) is good and they have a good coach who has been around. I believe they will do well. All the youth teams in the country are doping well now,” said Kanu who was part of the 1993 victorious Golden Eaglets squad under coach Fanny Amun.