The late former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, has been described as a great man whose memories will forever be cherished by football lovers.
Football stakeholders, who spoke separately with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan on Saturday, unanimously said Chukwu’s death has left a big vacuum in Nigerian football.
A former Super Eagles coach and also an ex-international, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, simply described Chukwu’s death at 74 as unfortunate.
Onigbinde says no one expects such news, “because for me, he’s still young.”
A former Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, described the late Rangers International captain as a respected and down-to-earth person.
“Every player loved to associate with him.
“We watched him play as a talented Rangers player when we were very young and growing up.
“I was also fortunate to play under him as the coach of the Super Eagles,” Adepoju said.
According to Adepoju, saying a simple goodbye to the man popularly called Chairman will not be enough.
“Time will never be enough to express the pain that has hit the entire football circle this moment.
“He was an inspiration to many millions, a reference of yesterday, today and always.
“Chairman expressed so much affection to his teammates, especially to his players as a coach,” he said.
The ex-player said football lovers were left to remember Chukwu for his legacy and achievements in football.
“He will never be forgotten, and his memory will last forever in each of us as football lovers,” he said.
He prayed to God to bless the soul of the deceased and console his family, the Enugu Rangers International and the Nigerian football family.
Meanwhile, a renowned sports analyst, Tayo Balogun, said the late football legend embodied what sportsmanship truly entailed.
Balogun described the late Chukwu as hardworking and always boiling with so much passion for the Nigerian team.
“He was a captain who led by example.
“In his time, he had a national team where every player under him wanted to truly play for Nigeria.
“Chukwu was a national star boy for Nigeria.
“He brought about healthy rivalry between Enugu Rangers Football Club and Shooting Stars Sports Club,” he said.
NAN recalls that the late coach, who died on Saturday at 74, was one of Nigeria’s iconic football figures.
He captained the cup-lifting Green Eagles that won Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980, defeating Algeria 3–0 in the final at the National Stadium in Lagos.
He later served as the head coach of the Super Eagles, where he guided the team to a third-place finish at the 2004 AFCON in Tunisia.
NAN
