Christian Chukwu, one of the greatest football players, former captain and coach of Nigeria’s national football team in the 1980s, Green Eagles (now Super Eagles) is dead.
Aged 74, he was born on January 4, 1951, and reportedly died on Saturday morning.
Persecondnews recalls that Chukwu had led Nigeria to the 1980 African Cup of Nations victory in Lagos.
Nigeria won the apex continental trophy for the first time. It was an elated Chukwu who lifted the trophy beside the then President Shehu Shagari.
Nigeria also lifted the trophy in 1994 and 2013.
Chukwu, fondly called Chairman by his friends and admirers, was also a legend of Rangers International of Enugu.
A member of the 1980 squad, Ogun State man, Chief Segun Odegbami, confirmed the death of his former colleague in a post on Saturday afternoon.
Odegbami wrote: “My Chairman has passed on. I just received the news that between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and team mate, one of the greatest football players, former captain and coach of Nigeria’s national football team, 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”.
Dr. Olusegun Odegbami,
MON, OLY, AFNIIA, FNIS
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