Christian Chukwu
Encyclopedia
Christian Chukwu Okoro is a Nigeria
n football
former player and current coach
. A defender
in his playing days, he captain
ed the Nigeria national team
to its first win in the African Nations Cup.
football club and the Nigeria national team
in the late 1970s. 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 the mid 1990s, before being appointed coach of the Kenya national team
in 1998. 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 August 5, 2009 for failing to reach the club's targets for the season.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
former player and current coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. A defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
in his playing days, he captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
ed the Nigeria national team
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
to its first win in the African Nations Cup.
Playing career
As a player, he became the captain of Enugu RangersEnugu Rangers
Rangers International football club of Enugu popularly called Enugu Rangers is one of only two Nigerian division one football teams that has never been relegated.-History:...
football club and the Nigeria national team
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
in the late 1970s. He was the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy after a 3-0 victory over Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
in the final of the 1980 tournament
1980 African Cup of Nations
The 1980 African Cup of Nations was the 12th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Nigeria. Just like in 1978, the field of eight teams was split into two groups of four...
.
Coaching career
Chukwu started his coaching career in LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
in the mid 1990s, before being appointed coach of the Kenya national team
Kenya national football team
The Kenya national football team, nicknamed the Harambee Stars, is the national team of Kenya and is controlled by Football Kenya Limited, the governing body of football in Kenya. They have never qualified for the World Cup finals.-History:...
in 1998. Later, from 2003 to 2005, he coached Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
, leading them to reach semifinals at the 2004 African Cup of Nations
2004 African Cup of Nations
The 2004 African Cup of Nations was the 24th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Tunisia. Just like in 2002, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
. During the 2006 World Cup qualification
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for Africa. 51 teams took part , competing for 5 World Cup places.The qualification was composed of two Rounds...
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
Angola national football team
The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002...
, 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
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
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 August 5, 2009 for failing to reach the club's targets for the season.