A former captain and head coach of the Nigeria’s men football team, Super Eagles, Christian Chukwu, is dead.
He died at the age of 74 years.
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 teammate in the national team and friend, Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, confirmed the development..
“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, who won the 1980 Africa Nation Cup with Chukwu, said.
Christian Chukwu was a towering figure in Nigerian football, first as a player and later as a coach.
He 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.