Former Nigeria manager Chukwu dies aged 74
LAGOS, April 12 (Reuters) - Former Nigeria manager Christian Chukwu, who captained the team to their first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980, has died at 74, his ex-team mate Segun Odegbami said on Saturday.
Chukwu also led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the Cup of Nations in 2004 as coach.
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Odegbami, who played alongside Chukwu at the 1980 finals, said in a Facebook post that fellow teammate and goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala "gave me the sad news a few minutes ago."
Nicknamed 'Chairman,' Chukwu commanded enormous respect among his teammates and was regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation.
He was assistant coach when Nigeria's Under-16s won the country's first World Cup trophy at the 1985 tournament in China.
Chukwu was Nigeria manager in the run up to the 2006 World Cup but poor results in the qualifiers saw him relieved of his post before the finals, which the Eagles failed to reach.
He managed Lebanese club Safa FC in 1997 and Kenya in 1998 before taking over at his boyhood club Rangers International in the 2000s.
Around 2019, Chukwu suffered from an ailment that saw him flown to the United Kingdom and his medical bills were covered by Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola.
Writing by Ben Ezeamalu; Editing by Ken Ferris
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