By Kei Emmanuel Duku
Hundreds of mourners from different walks of life gathered at Kator Cathedral on Thursday morning to attend a requiem mass organized for Utaz James Ezekiel Alhaji who died on Tuesday morning.
Late Ezekiel died at Juba Teaching Hospital on Tuesday, September 10th, 2024 while receiving treatment.
Students, football lovers, relatives, friends, the South Sudan Football Association, and government officials were present during the mass.
Born in Juba, on January 1st, 1970, Late Ezekiel achieved his Primary education at Malakia Primary School between 1977 and 1985 before joining Sadaka Intermediate from 1985 to 1988. Between 1988 and 1994 joined Supiri Secondary School for Sudan School certificate upon his successful completion he joined the University of Juba where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University Of Juba College Of Education five years later after joining in 1994.
Before joining Juba University, Ezekiel had already started working with the Ministry of Finance Central Equatorial State in 1993 before working for the Moroboi Coordination office in Juba for about 6 years as a bookkeeper between 1993 and 2000.
He started his teaching career at his former Intermediate School, Supiri Secondary School as a classroom teacher before he was promoted to Deputy Head Teacher at Supiri Secondary school a position he held for more than four years, thereafter he moved to Nile Model Secondary School as a Head Teacher from 2018-2019.
While a Footballer, Late Ezekiel started his youthful football career at Zahara Sports Club in Juba from 1980 to 1986 before he moved to Kator Sports Club where he played for 21 years.
Deceased Ezekiel died at the age of 54 while serving as the Assistant Head Teacher of Sakada Secondary School in Juba, he was also Moderator of Young Christian Students-YCS, Head Coach of Rainbow Football Club in Juba’s first Division League under Juba Local Football Association, and also Assistant Coach for South Sudan National U-20 National Team.
James Remo Abdullah former Medical doctor for the South Sudan National team who worked together with the Late Ezekiel while managing the national team said Ezekiel will be missed by the entire football fraternity and his death will be a huge loss for the growth of football in the country.
He described the late as an Honest and loving person who socialized with everyone.
“He was a very simple person, I have worked with him while he was coaching various national teams, and he does not attach money to his work, he has the spirit of nationalism in him and his death has come at a time that the nation needed him. I will surely miss his advice and how he used to comfort me whenever I was annoyed” said Abdullah.
As a Coach, Late Ezekiel has managed Munuki FC, Gudele FC, and his long-term boyhood club Kator FC and till his death, he was the Head Coach of Rainbow FC.
Last season he helped Rainbow FC finish among the top five clubs in the Juba Local Premier League.
Late Ezekiel is one of the highly-ranked coaches in South Sudan after obtaining a Coaching License B Certificate.
According to Albino Kuek Deng, South Sudan Football Association Spokesperson, Late Ezekiel is not only a coach but a mentor who has managed to transform the lives of very many players both at the club he has been working as a coach and at the national team as well as in the various school he had been an administrator.
“As a teacher and coach, he (Ezekiel) has produced disciplined players full of respect, he manages the players with integrity, players whom he has coached right from the academy many of them are at the National and various clubs across the country playing professional league,” said Deng.
Deng added that Late Ezekiel has worked as an Assistant Coach to the Senior National Team and U-23 National Team.
He stated that in Late Ezekiel’s last assignment, he overshadowed the U-15 National Team as Head Coach during the U-15 Council of East and Central Africa Football Association Pan Africa Games held in Tanzania.
“He is best known for his results, for the first time while participating in competitive matches our national team managed to score goals and he has made an impact through the academy he has been coaching in. he is a wealthy man full of knowledge that’s why recently he was sent to Nimule and so many places to train coaches, we have lost a dictionary and Library of football and we shall miss him” added Deng.
Kamal Award Farjallha the club secretary of Al-Merreikh Football Club in Juba noted that Late Ezekiel inspired many young players to join football especially when he still playing for Kator FC in Juba in the late 80s.
He described the late as a God-loving person and urged the public to emulate the positive lifestyle of late Ezekiel.
“He is always a quiet person, he doesn’t cherish violence, and all his teachings are focused on peaceful co-existence before he died I visited him on the sick bed but found him in a critical condition” concluded Frajallha.
Late Ezekiel was buried on Thursday in Juba.