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Ugo
Ehiogu was taken to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest and passed away
in the early hours of Friday morning. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images
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• ‘Words cannot express the shock and sadness that we
all feel at the club’ • Former England and Aston Villa defender passes away aged 44
Tottenham Hotspur have
announced with great sadness that their under-23 coach, Ugo Ehiogu, passed away
in the early hours of this morning after suffering a cardiac arrest at the club’s training
ground on Thursday.
The
Guardian UK report continues:
The
sense of disbelief at how an ostensibly fit 44-year-old has been taken away is
palpable and the Tottenham head of development, John McDermott, did his best to
articulate it.
“Words
cannot express the shock and sadness that we all feel at the club,” McDermott
said. “Ugo’s presence will be irreplaceable. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to
his wife, Gemma, and his family.”
The
former England and Aston Villa defender was on the training field on Thursday
morning when he collapsed. Tottenham’s medics rushed to treat him while an
ambulance and a medical assistance car were scrambled to him at 11.30am.
They
sped into the club’s Enfield training centre, blue lights flashing, and the
ambulance took Ehiogu off to hospital about 20 minutes later. The high level of
concern was etched across the faces of every member of staff.
It
was immediately plain that Ehiogo faced a life or death battle. The Spurs
manager, Mauricio Pochettino, the assistant manager, Jesús Pérez, and McDermott
had walked over to the academy fields to make their own checks on the
situation. Ehiogu received round-the-clock treatment at the hospital but he
could not be saved.
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Ugo
Ehiogu celebrates scoring for England on his international debut against Spain
in 2001. Photograph: Craig Prentis/Getty Images
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Tottenham
said in a statement: “The club sends its deep condolences to Ugo’s family.
Gemma has specifically asked that the family are given privacy at this
difficult time. We should also like to place on record our thanks to all the
medical professionals including those at North Middlesex University Hospital,
Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield Hospital for their care and support.”
Ehiogu
began his career as a trainee at West Bromwich Albion before he was taken to
Villa by Ron Atkinson in 1991. He went on to feature in more than 300 matches
for Villa and played in their FA Cup final defeat against Chelsea in 2000.
Ehiogu
joined Middlesbrough for a then club-record £8m fee later that year and in 2001
he scored his only goal for England in Sven Goran-Eriksson’s first game in
charge, a 3-0 friendly victory against Spain.
Knee
injuries plagued the final years of Ehiogu’s career at the Riverside Stadium.
He joined Leeds United on loan in 2006 and also had short spells with Rangers
and Sheffield United before he retired from football in 2009.
Ehiogu
subsequently moved into coaching and had been with Tottenham for the past three
seasons.
Before
pursuing a coaching career Ehiogu followed his other passion, helping to set up
record label Dirty Hit, which boasts artists such as The 1975, Ben Khan,
Superfood, Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Fossil Collective.
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Ugo
Ehiogu in action for Aston Villa, for whom he made over 200 appearances.
Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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In
2010, he told Skysports.com: “I miss parts of football, I miss the banter, but
I was lucky enough to have 20 years of playing and that was enough of training,
playing and the discipline. It had taken its toll and my mind and my body were
ready for a break.
“My
love of football is massive but my love of music is amazing. You have people
eating out of your hands when you’re singing, you have people singing the lines
of your song.
“Basically,
the only difference would be that, socially, when you’re a musician it seems
that you can get away with doing almost anything you like. It is deemed as
being what a rock star does. That balance needs to readdress itself but I don’t
think it ever will.”
Ehiogu,
who admitted he “used to get psyched-up to a bit of Bon Jovi” before a match,
took his first steps into coaching at Spurs’ academy under Tim Sherwood and
Chris Ramsey.
He
had very much bought into the philosophy to inspire the next generation, which
included developing a mentoring programme for young players to highlight issues
around the modern game.
“If
you come to watch games at Tottenham – in particular at development level – you
will notice how we try to play, in a certain way with a certain style,” he said
in a 2013 column for the Daily Mail.
“My
hope is to see an England team that tries to play flowing interchangeable
football, that can mix it with the best teams through physique and technique.
It’s the way forward.”
One
of his final tweets illustrated Ehiogu’s kind nature. “Gave a homeless girl £10
last night in Dalston. She didn’t ask or beg. Random impulsive act from me. Not
gona lie. Felt good. #dosomethingkind”. The #dosomethingkind hashtag has since
been trending on Twitter, with many people making generous gestures in the
former footballer’s memory.
Ehiogu leaves behind his
wife, Gemma, and a son.
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