Christian Chukwu

Christian Chukwu

Personal information
Full name	Christian Chukwu Okoro
Date of birth	(1951-01-04) 4 January 1951
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1972-1981	Enugu Rangers	?	(?)
International career
1974-1981	Nigeria	54	(5)
Managerial career
1982–1985	Enugu Rangers
1985-1986	Nigeria national under-17 football team
1986-1988	Enugu Rangers
1998–?	Kenya
2003–2005	Nigeria
?–2009	Enugu Rangers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Christian Chukwu Okoro (born 4 January 1951) is a Nigerian former football player and coach. A defender in his playing days, he captained the Nigeria national team to its first win in the African Nations Cup.

Playing career

As a player, Chukwu captained the Nigerian national team, then known as the Green Eagles between 1974 and 1980. He was in the Nigerian squads that won the Africa Nations' Cup in 1980 and finished runners' up in 1976 and 1978. He was the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy after a 3–0 victory over Algeria in the final of the 1980 tournament. In his last appearance for Nigeria, Chukwu was recalled from retirement for the 1982 World Cup qualifier against the same Algeria which the Green Eagles lost at home, in Lagos 2-0. Chukwu also captained Nigerian Division One club Enugu Rangers and his success as a player includes victory in the 1977 African Cup Winners' Cup and a second place in the 1975 African Cup of Champions Clubs with Rangers.

Coaching career

Chukwu started his coaching career at Enugu Rangers in 1982 before being called to coach the Nigeria national under-17 side that won the 1985 World Youth Cup. After returning to Enugu Rangers between 1986 and 1988, Chukwu coached Nigerian Division Three club Asesa FC which he helped rise to the First Division before he was named along with Jo Bonfrere as one of Dutchman Clemens Westerhof's assistants for the 1994 World Cup in the USA. His main responsibility was to scout for the Super Eagles players. After the World Cup where Nigeria reached the second round, Chukwu was attached to Nigerian Division One side Iwuanyanwu Nationale between 1995 and 1996, after which he was signed on by Lebanese club Safa SC in 1997. He didn't stay long in Lebanon because in the summer of 1998 he was named among the coaches shortlisted to serve in the Super Eagles technical bench under then newly appointed head coach Thijs Libregts. But politicking within the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) ranks saw Chukwu give up the job eventually taken by Shuaibu Amodu .

In October 1998 he's being appointed coach of the Kenya national team. Later, from 2003 to 2005, he coached Nigeria, leading them to reach semifinals at the 2004 African Cup of Nations. During the 2006 World Cup qualification phase, Chukwu was blamed for inept coaching and management of the Nigerian national football team, and two matches before the qualifying campaign was over, he was suspended. In two matches – home and away – against eventual group winners Angola, Nigeria failed to win either one of those two encounters. This was blamed on Chukwu and those two crucial failures eventually led to Nigeria failing to qualify for the World Cup, after having appeared at all World Cup finals tournaments since their debut in 1994.

Chukwu coached Enugu Rangers to 6th place in the 2008–2009 edition of the Nigeria Premier League. However, he was sacked on 5 August 2009 for failing to reach the club's targets for the season.

Later life

In April 2019 the Nigeria Football Federation announced that they would help Chukwu pay for his medical bills for treatment in the United States, while billionaire Femi Otedola said he would also contribute. It was later announced that he would travel for treatment in May after the required funds were raised he was cured.