A former captain and head coach of the Super Eagles, Christian Chukwu, is dead.
He was 74.
The football legend reportedly passed away in the early hours of Saturday though the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear as of the time of filing this report.
His longtime teammate and friend, Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, confirmed the development..
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.”
Born January 4, 1951, Chukwu had an illustrious career with Rangers captaining them to many laurels on the domestic football scene and led the Flying Antelopes to continental glory by winning the now rested African Cup Winners Cup in 1977.
He was the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy after a 3–0 victory over Algeria in the final of the 1980 tournament in Lagos.
He assisted Dutch coach Clemens Westerhof when Nigeria won a second AFCON title in 1994 en route to the county’s maiden appearance at the USA 1994 World Cup.