Former Super Eagles coach Christian Chukwu passes away

Former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu has died at age 74.

The veteran trainer’s death was reported earlier on Saturday though details surrounding his death remain unclear. Chukwu had health issues dating back through the last six years with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and Nigerian businessman Femi Otedola previously providing financial support for Chukwu to receive medical treatment in the United Kingdom in 2019.

Chukwu's longtime teammate and friend Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, who won the 1980 Africa Nation Cup with Chukwu, said: “I just received the news that between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and teammate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s history, has passed on."

“Babuje, Emmanuel Okala, MON, gave me the sad news a few minutes ago. May ‘Onyim’ find peace with Our Creator in Heaven and console his family,” Odegbami told Nigerian outlet The Nation.

Christian Chukwu was an important figure in Nigerian football, first as a player before rising to become a coach. He managed the club he played for, Rangers International (Enugu Rangers) during three different spells along with time spent coaching the Nigeria under-17 team and the Kenya national team.

Chukwu captained the national team to their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in 1980 and later led the Super Eagles as head coach in the early 2000s with a semifinal finish at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations.