A former head coach of the Super Eagles, Christian Chukwu, has died at the age of 74.
PUNCH Online gathered that the former Super Eagles captain died in the early hours of Saturday in his home state of Enugu.
Below are the things to know about the football legend:
Christian Chukwu, born January 4, 1951, captained the Nigerian national team, then known as the Green Eagles, between 1974 and 1980.
The chairman, as he is fondly called, captained the national team to its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980 and finished as a runner-up in 1976 and 1978.
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.
The Enugu-born legend also led the Enugu Rangers FC team that won the Africa Cup Winners Cup in 1977.
Chukwu also served as assistant coach of the first team to win a FIFA World Cup trophy for Nigeria – the Golden Eaglets that triumphed at the FIFA U16 World Cup in China in 1985.
He was also the assistant coach of the team tagged the Golden Generation, the 1994 class of Super Eagles that qualified Nigeria for its first FIFA World Cup finals.
In October 1998, he was appointed coach of the Kenya national team, and from 2003 to 2005, he coached Nigeria, leading them to reach the semifinals at the 2004 African Cup of Nations.
Chukwu captained the national team to its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980 and later led the Super Eagles to a bronze medal at the 2004 AFCON in Tunisia.
He was, however, sacked in June 2005 during the qualification campaign for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Chukwu coached Enugu Rangers to 6th place in the 2008/2009 season of the Nigeria Premier League.
However, he was sacked on August 5, 2009, for failing to reach the club’s targets for the season.
In 2017, Chukwu was appointed Ranger’s General Manager and Chief Executive Officer by the immediate past Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Chukwu, a prominent figure in Nigerian football, was a recipient of the national honour of the Member of the Federal Republic.
The former Super Eagles captain was rumoured to be dead in 2021 but later denied the rumours during his 70th birthday celebration on January 4, 2021.
Chukwu is survived by his wife, Lilian, and four children.
