Former Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, has died at the age of 88.
His family confirmed his passing 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.”
Born on March 5, 1938, Onigbinde was widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern football coaching in Nigeria and made history as the first indigenous Nigerian coach of the national team, the Super Eagles.
During his coaching career, he guided 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 after the dismissal of the coaching crew led by Shuaibu Amodu following Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
He subsequently led Nigeria 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.
However, the tournament ended in disappointment for Nigeria, as the Super Eagles failed to win a match and were eliminated in the group stage — the country’s worst performance at the World Cup.
Nigeria lost their opening match 0–1 to Argentina after a goal by Gabriel Batistuta. In the second game against Sweden, the team lost 1–2 despite taking an early lead, confirming their elimination from the tournament.
The Super Eagles later played out a goalless draw against England in their final group match.
Following the World Cup, some Nigerian players, including Jay-Jay Okocha and Julius Aghahowa, criticised Onigbinde over what they described as questionable player selections for the tournament.
Despite the criticism, many players from that squad later enjoyed long and successful careers with the Super Eagles.
After his coaching career, Onigbinde remained a respected voice in Nigerian football and served as a technical instructor for both the Confederation of African Football and FIFA, contributing significantly to coaching development across Africa.
