The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Dr Patrice Motsepe, has paid an emotional tribute to former Super Eagles goalkeeper and captain, Peter Rufai, who passed away on Thursday, 3 July 2025, at the age of 61 following a prolonged illness.
In an official statement, Dr Motsepe conveyed his “deep condolences and the condolences of the 54 CAF Member Associations to the family of the late Peter Rufai, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and the entire Nigerian football community.”
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Popularly known as “Dodomayana”, Rufai was a trailblazer in African football, representing Nigeria at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups and several Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments, playing a key role in the country’s golden generation of football.
Dr Motsepe described Peter Rufai as “part of a special generation of African football players who made the people of Nigeria and the entire African continent very proud.”
Motsepe continued: “Peter Rufai was an enormously talented footballer who was respected across Africa and around the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and its President Ibrahim Gusau, his former teammates, and the people of Nigeria. ‘Dodo Mayana’ will forever live in our hearts and minds. May his soul rest in peace.”
Born in Lagos in 1963, Rufai enjoyed a two-decade-long professional career, playing for clubs across Europe, including stints in Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. His legacy as a pioneering African goalkeeper and a patriotic servant of Nigerian football remains firmly etched in history.
