Super Eagles legend, Daniel Amokachi, has been named a United Nations Football for the Goals Champion while calling for greater global efforts to tackle youth mental health through sport.
The former Nigeria international received the recognition at the United Nations high-level event titled ‘One World, One Game, One Goal: Football for the Goals (FFTG) Initiative’ held at the UN headquarters in New York, where global football figures, policymakers and youth leaders discussed the role of sport in advancing sustainable development and improving mental well-being.
Daniel Amokachi became the first Nigerian former footballer to be selected as a Football for the Goals Champion, a UN initiative that mobilises the global football community to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The event, organised by the UN Youth Affairs Office, brought together representatives of member states, young leaders, policymakers and athletes, including FIFA ambassador and 2002 FIFA World Cup winner Gilberto Silva, former England international Eniola Aluko, and former NBA player and basketball executive Pop Mensah-Bonsu.
Speaking during the event, Amokachi shared his personal experience with mental health after a career-threatening injury before the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
“Before the World Cup in France, a very good friend of mine and I had planned to end up in Serie A or the Premiership. We had our calculations, but God had His,” Amokachi said.
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“We went to the World Cup, I got injured, went under the knife, and six months later, doctors told me I couldn’t play football anymore. That was when mental health challenges hit me.”
The Olympic gold medallist said the experience inspired him to establish the Daniel Amokachi Eduplus Youth Development Foundation, which supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, and peace, justice and strong institutions.
He noted that mental health interventions should reflect regional realities.
“When it comes to mental health, the context of addressing it in Europe or America is different from the way you tackle it in Africa,” he said.
Amokachi also stressed that sport provides an effective platform for supporting young people beyond conventional settings.
“Experience has shown us that mental health issues can not only be tackled in classrooms or conference rooms but on the field.”
Also addressing participants, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Felipe Paullier said protecting young people’s mental health is essential to achieving sustainable development.
“Certainly, because of technology, change can sometimes make the future feel unpredictable,” Paullier said.
“But this is certain: young people are not standing still. They have built connections where others see division.”
“In every country I have visited, one issue always comes up: mental health. For young people, mental health is about care and connections.”
The Football for the Goals initiative was launched by the United Nations to harness football’s global influence in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
It encourages clubs, players, governing bodies and football stakeholders worldwide to promote equality, health, education, inclusion and environmental sustainability through the sport.
