Former Super Eagles head coach, High Chief Festus Adegboye Onigbinde, is dead. He was 88.
His family confirmed his passing on Monday in a WhatsApp broadcast message signed by Bolade Adesuyi on behalf of the family.
“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,” the statement read.
Born on March 5, 1938, Onigbinde was widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern football coaching in Nigeria and played a key role in the development of the country’s football.
He made history as the first indigenous Nigerian to coach the national team, the Super Eagles.
During his coaching career, he led Nigeria to the final of the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, where the team finished with a silver medal after losing to Cameroon.
Onigbinde later returned to manage the Super Eagles following the dismissal of the coaching crew led by Shuaibu Amodu after Nigeria’s disappointing outing at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
He subsequently guided the team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, assembling a squad largely made up of young and relatively inexperienced players.
Nigeria, however, endured a difficult campaign at the tournament, failing to win a match and exiting at the group stage — the country’s worst performance at the World Cup.
The Super Eagles lost their opening match 0–1 to Argentina after a goal by Gabriel Batistuta. They then fell 1–2 to Sweden despite taking the lead, a result that confirmed their elimination from the competition. Nigeria later played a goalless draw against England in their final group match.
Following 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, many members of that team went on to enjoy long and successful careers with the national side.
Beyond his time with the Super Eagles, Onigbinde remained an influential figure in football development. He later served as a technical instructor for the Confederation of African Football and FIFA, contributing to the growth of coaching across the continent.
He is remembered as one of Nigeria’s most respected football tacticians and a pioneer who helped shape the country’s football history.
Comments