African Soccer-Loving President, Nkuruziza Dies of Heart attack

The president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza has reportedly died of heart attack at age 55.

In February this year, two Burundi officials were imprisoned after the African country’s president was rough tackled , allegedly “roughed up” in a football match they organised.

President Pierre Nkurunziza was a ‘born-again’ evangelical Christian who spent much of his time travelling Burundi with his own football team, Haleluya FC.

On 3 February, his team faced a side from the northern town of Kiremba.

Normally, the opposition is well aware they are playing against the country’s president, and it has been said they go easy in the games, even perhaps allowing Nkurunziza to score.

But as the Kiremba team contained Congolese refugees who did not know they were playing against Burundi’s president, they “attacked each time he had the ball and made him fall several times”, a witness told AFP.

Kiremba’s administrator Cyriaque Nkezabahizi and his assistant, Michel Mutama, were imprisoned on Thursday, the news agency reports.
AFP cited a judicial source as saying they had been arrested on charges of “conspiracy against the president”.

He bagged a degree in Sports Education at the University of Burundi

Nkurunziza was one of seven siblings. Two of his siblings were killed after civil war erupted in 1993, and three others died while fighting in the CNDD-FDD. Only one of his siblings, a sister, is alive today. He married his wife in 1994 and is the father of two sons.

Nkurunziza enjoyed playing football and cycling. He began playing football at the age of five, and played in a team at secondary school and his university. As a University Physical Education teacher, Nkurunziza used his football talents as a coach of “Union Sporting”, a first division club side. As President, he re-called some of his former players to form a new team of veterans, “Helleluia FC”. In 2004, when he was a State Minister, Nkurunziza created a “Soccer Academy” which is home to nearly 300 kids learning skills in various training centres across the country. Nkurunziza had his own football team, Haleluya FC, which he traveled Burundi with.

May His Soul Rest In Peace.

Source : AFP