A former head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, Adegboye Onigbinde, has died at the age of 88.
His family announced his passing on Monday in a statement signed by a family member, Bolade Adesuyi.
The statement described the late coach as a respected community leader and one of Nigeria’s pioneering football tacticians.
“With great gratitude to God for a life well spent, we announce the passing of this great man, a Modakeke High Chief, the first indigenous Nigerian Super Eagles football coach, father, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend, High Chief Festus Adegboye Onigbinde,” the statement read.
The family expressed appreciation for his contributions to Nigerian football and the nation at large, noting that details of his funeral arrangements would be announced later.
Onigbinde was widely known for his contributions to the development of football in Nigeria. He led the Nigeria national football team, popularly known as the Super Eagles, to the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
He had earlier served as coach of the then Green Eagles between 1982 and 1984. During that period, he guided Nigeria to the final of the 1984 African Cup of Nations, where the team lost 3–1 to the Cameroon national football team.
Onigbinde also worked as a technical instructor for both the Confederation of African Football and FIFA, contributing to the growth and development of the sport across the continent.
