Former Nigerian international goalkeeper Idah Peterside has candidly discussed the personal challenges he faced following his separation from his first wife. Peterside, who retired from professional football in 2002, transitioned to a new career as a television pundit with SuperSport and founded a church dedicated to evangelism.
Now serving as the pastor of Christ Ambassadors Church in South Africa, Peterside revealed that the departure of his wife and the accompanying shame nearly drove him to suicide. Despite these difficulties, he found strength and solace in his faith.
“I nearly took my own life after my ex-wife left me; the shame was overwhelming. I had just embarked on a new chapter with SuperSport and was starting a church,” Peterside shared on X (formerly Twitter). “It was only through God’s grace that I made it through. I am immensely grateful today.”
Throughout his football career, Idah Peterside played for several teams, including Tembisa Classic FC and Moroka Swallows in South Africa, as well as Enyimba, Sharks, Udoji United, BCC Lions, and Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland FC) in Nigeria.
