Former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, has passed on at the age of 74.
Reports reveal that the prominent figure in Nigerian football died on Saturday, April 11, 2025, but details surrounding his death remain unclear.
His longtime teammate and friend, Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, confirmed the development.
Odegbami, who won the 1980 Africa Nation Cup with Chukwu, said:
“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.”
Christian Chukwu was a towering figure in Nigerian football, first as a player and later as a coach.
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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.
He was relieved of the job in June 2005 during the qualification campaign for the World Cup in Germany.
In 2019, Chukwu suffered prostate cancer, which affected his leg. The family opened a GoFundMe appeal to solicit funds for the Nigeria football legend’s medical treatment.
Businessman Femi Otedola eventually paid $50,000 for Chukwu’s treatment overseas.
Chukwu captained Nigeria to its first AFCON success in 1980. He 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 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.
