Just In: Ex-Nigeria, Kenya Coach, Christian Chukwu Dies At 74

Nigerian Sports fraternity is in mourning following the death of captain of the national football team in the days of the Green Eagles, Christian Chukwu.

News of the demise of Christian Chukwu was broken by his bosom friend and team mate, Segun Odegbami in a WhatsApp broadcast message, which announced that one of the greatest players in Nigeria’s Football history was dead

Odegbami also revealed in the WhatsApp broadcast that another teammate in the 1980 Nations Cup winning Green Eagles, Emmanuel Okala, gave him the sad news.

Apart from captaining Nigeria to its first Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON victory in 1980, Christian Chukwu nicknamed “Chairman’ for his leadership qualities also rose to become coach of the Super Eagles as well as his club side in his playing days, Enugu Rangers International.

His football coaching journey also took him outside Nigeria to Kenya and Lebanon. Chukwu first coached the Kenyan national team in 1998 before he was appointed Head Coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles in 2003 where he led the team to semi-final of the 2004 AFCON.

He died at the age of 74.