A former Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, has passed away 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 broadcast message stated, “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.”
Born on March 5, 1938, Onigbinde was widely regarded 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 secured a silver medal after a defeat to the Cameroon national football team. Onigbinde later returned to manage the Super Eagles following the dismissal of the coaching crew led by Shuaibu Amodu, following what was perceived as a disappointing performance by Nigeria at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
He subsequently guided the Super Eagles to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, assembling a squad largely made up of young and relatively inexperienced players. Unfortunately, the tournament ended in disappointment for Nigeria, as the team failed to secure a single victory and was eliminated in the group stage, marking the country’s worst performance at the World Cup.
The Super Eagles lost their opening match 0–1 to the Argentina national football team after a goal by Gabriel Batistuta. In their second game against the Sweden national football team, Nigeria lost 1–2 despite initially taking the lead, which confirmed their elimination from the competition. The team later played out a goalless draw against the England national football team in their final group match.
Following the tournament, some Nigerian players, including Jay-Jay Okocha and Julius Aghahowa, criticised Onigbinde for what they described as questionable player selections for the World Cup squad. Despite the criticism that followed the tournament, several members of the team went on to enjoy long and successful careers with the Super Eagles.
Onigbinde remained a respected figure in Nigerian football and later served as a technical instructor for both the Confederation of African Football and FIFA, contributing to the development of coaching across the continent.
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