Former Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, has died at the age of 88.
His family confirmed his death on Monday through a WhatsApp broadcast message signed by Bolade Adesuyi, a member of the family.
The message read, “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, who passed unto the great beyond a couple of minutes ago.”
Onigbinde, who was born on March 5, 1938, was widely recognised as one of the pioneers of modern football coaching in Nigeria. He made history as the first indigenous Nigerian coach of the national football team.
During his coaching career, he led Nigeria to the final of the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, where the team won a silver medal after losing to Cameroon in the final.
He later returned to manage the Super Eagles after the coaching crew led by Shuaibu Amodu was removed following what many described as Nigeria’s poor performance at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
Onigbinde later guided the Super Eagles to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by Japan and South Korea. He selected a squad that included many young and relatively inexperienced players.
However, Nigeria’s performance at the tournament was disappointing as the team failed to win any match and was eliminated in the group stage, marking the country’s worst outing at the World Cup.
The Super Eagles lost their first match 0–1 to Argentina after Gabriel Batistuta scored the only goal of the game.
In the second match against Sweden, Nigeria lost 1–2 despite scoring the opening goal. The defeat confirmed the team’s exit from the competition.
Nigeria later played a goalless draw against England in their final group match.
After the tournament, some Nigerian players, including Jay-Jay Okocha and Julius Aghahowa, criticised Onigbinde over what they described as questionable player selections for the World Cup squad.
Despite the criticism that followed the tournament, several players from the team later went on to have long and successful careers with the Super Eagles.
After his coaching career, Onigbinde remained an important voice in Nigerian football and later served as a technical instructor for the Confederation of African Football and FIFA, helping to develop football coaching across Africa.
