Former Green Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, has passed away. He died earlier today, aged 74.
Details of his passing are still sketchy as at press time.
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.
His glorious playing career started with Rangers of Enugu which he also led to win local and international trophies.
Chukwu was cool-headed and was nicknamed Chairmen for his superb leadership of both teams.
He was also a remarkable player as a central defender in both Rangers International and Nigeria’s Green Eagles. He captained the Nigeria national team to its first win in the Africa Cup of Nations.
He was in the Nigerian squads that won the Africa Nations’ Cup in 1980 and finished runners’ 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.
In October 1998 he was appointed coach of the Kenya national team. Later, from 2003 to 2005, he coached Nigeria, leading them to reach semifinals at the 2004 African Cup of Nations.
Chukwu coached Enugu Rangers to 6th place in the 2008–2009 edition of the Nigeria Premier League. He was later made Rangers General Manager and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), before he finally retired from football administration.
