Christian Chukwu, MFR, a former captain of the Nigerian national football team, then known as the Green Eagles (renamed Super Eagles), has been announced dead, aged 74.
His teammate, Chief Segun Odegbami, MON, broke the passage of the former national team captain who, during his playing days, was known as Chairman Chukwu.
The late Christian Chukwu led the national team to its first ever African Cup of Nations’ victory in 1980 and eventually rose to become the coach of the Super Eagles.
Odegbami declared in a message on the social media, “My Chairman has passed on.”
According to Odegbami, the former Number 7 right-winger of the then Green Eagles, the late Christian Chukwu died between 9am and 10am on Saturday.
“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 football history, 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,” Odegbami stated in the short message.
Christian Chukwu: His Early Life
Christian Chukwu Okoro was born 4 January 1951. He attended Christ Church Primary School, Uwani, Enugu. He attended National Secondary School, Nike, Enugu. He joined East Central State Academicals and won the National Cup.
Chukwu had a close bond and friendship with the teammates and other leaders like himself that made them to win and even at old age he still bonded very well with them.
The late Dan Anyiam made a lot of impact in his life as a football player. Chukwu spent his childhood between Robinson and Kenyatta Street.
Playing Career
Christian was initially discouraged by his parents while playing football at a young age. He was also given plantains to hawk just to stop him from playing football. It was when he started playing for National Grammar School Nike and the Highlanders FC, owned by the then Ministry of Finance that his parents started taking him seriously.
He became the captain of his school’ football team and led them to so many victories. His favorite Arena was the Ngwo Park. The Park has the reputation of producing most of the great players who have played for Enugu Rangers, Vasco Da Gama and the Green Eagles.
He became a popular football player and eventually a coach. A defender in his playing days, he captained the Nigeria national team to its first win in the African Cup of Nations.
As a player, Chukwu captained the Nigerian national team, then known as the Green Eagles, between 1974 and 1980. He was in the Nigerian squads that won the Africa Nations’ Cup in 1980 and finished runners’ up in 1976 and 1978.
Chukwu was thus the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy after a 3–0 victory over Algeria in the final of the 1980 edition of the tournament.
In October 1998, he was appointed the coach of the Kenyan national team. Later, from 2003 to 2005, he coached the Super Eagles of Nigeria, leading them to reach semifinals at the 2004 African Cup of Nations.
During the 2006 World Cup qualification phase, Chukwu was blamed for inept coaching and, after two matches before the qualifying campaign was over, he was suspended by the Management of the Nigerian national football team.
Indeed, Nigeria lost both at home and away to Angola, the eventual group winners during the 2006 World Cups Qualifiers. The two crucial failures led to the ouster of Nigerian national team from qualifying for the World Cup, after having appeared at all World Cup finals tournaments since their debut in 1994.
Christian Chukwu coached Enugu Rangers to 6th place in the 2008–2009 edition of the Nigeria Premier League. However, he was sacked on 5 August, 2009 for failing to reach the club’s targets for the season.
Former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi appointed Christian Chukwu as the General Manager/CEO of Enugu Ranger.
His Personal Life
The late Christian Chukwu had four children, two boys and two girls. His children love football but not as much as their father.
Following his failing health, in April 2019, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced that they would help Chukwu pay for his medical bills for treatment in the United States, while billionaire Femi Otedola also made a contribution.
•Additional report: Wikipedia
