Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye has described the late Christian Chukwu as one of the icons of league football in Nigeria.
In his tribute to the late captain of Rangers International of Enugu, Elegbeleye said the story of club football in the country can not be complete without a good mention of Christian Chukwu.
“Christian Chukwu stands out in the annals of club football. He not only spent his entire football career in our league, he equally took to coaching the younger ones and went on to win the league as a player and a coach”, the NPFL Chairman noted.
Extending condolences to the immediate family and the country’s football family, Elegbeleye said, “we certainly have lost an icon of club football in Nigeria and on behalf of the NPFL Board, Clubs, Coaches, officials and players, I wish the family the strength to endure this loss”.
Chukwu captained Rangers and the national team, Green Eagles as they were then known. With club and national team, he won honours including the Africa Nations Cup in 1980.
Born on 4th January 1951, Chukwu coached his darling club, Enugu Rangers (he played for only one club in his career) and then coached the senior national team of Kenya, nicknamed the Harambee Stars. He was named Head Coach of the Super Eagles in 2002, and led the team to finish third at the 2004 AFCON finals in Tunisia.
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