Foremost football administrator, Jonathan Ogufere, has expressed his heartfelt condolences over the recent death of former national team captain and coach, Christian ‘ Chairman’ Chukwu, adding the erstwhile Enugu Rangers’ defence stalwart will ‘be dearly missed’.
In a signed letter of condolence, the former President of West African Football Union (WAFU) described Chukwu who died on Saturday 12 April, in Enugu after a brief illness at 74, as a ‘hero of our time and a friend’.
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The nonagenarian recalled with nostalgia how he nearly recruited the young Chukwu for his P & T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu, adding he was impressed with how the ‘Field Marshal Christian Chukwuemeka ‘Chairman ‘ Chukwu (MFR), conducted himself throughout his career as he led both the national team, the then Green Eagles and his beloved Enugu Rangers to many conquests.
“I join numerous others to mourn the transition of the legendary Christian Chukwu, a hero of our time and friend,” Mr Ogunfere wrote. “As one of the young academicals discovered after the end of the Civil War in 1970, I tried to enlist into my club, the P & T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu but he was fair and frank in informing me that he had already joined Enugu Rangers Football Club, and I respected that attitude. From the rivalries between the two clubs, his exploits as a central defender were very visible.”
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He continued: “Christian Chukwu emerged at the national level as a trust worthy and formidable captain of the national team who led by example. He was one of the heroes during the Golden age of Nigerian football when I was one of the Board Members of the Nigeria Football Association under the chairmanship of Chief Sunny Dankaro as Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 for the first time where Christian Chukwu as captain of the Green Eagles was declared the best player of the tournament. He led the national team in several battles which endeared him to millions of football lovers.
“After his playing days, he showed his talents through coaching in Nigeria and abroad.
“I express my sincere condolence to the family he left behind, the football family and the country in general. He will be dearly missed.
“May the good Lord grant his noble soul eternal rest,” he noted.
