March 10, (THEWILL) — Nigeria has lost one of its most consequential football figures after the death of High Chief Festus Adegboye Onigbinde, aged 88.
His family confirmed the news on Monday in a statement signed by Mrs. Bolade Adesuyi.
Born on March 5, 1938, in Modakeke, Osun State, Onigbinde dropped his baptismal name Festus in 1960, adopting Adegboye, meaning “a child born to reclaim a chieftaincy title.”
He rose from player-coach and referee to become the first Nigerian to manage the Super Eagles on a full-time basis.
His first tenure with the national team, from 1981 to 1984, ended in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Côte d’Ivoire, where Nigeria lost 3-1 to Cameroon.
That same year, he led Shooting Stars of Ibadan to the African Champions Cup final, where they fell on aggregate to Egypt’s Zamalek.
Onigbinde returned to the Super Eagles in 2002 following the dismissal of Shuaibu Amodu, becoming the first indigenous Nigerian coach at a FIFA World Cup.
The group stage campaign in South Korea and Japan brought defeats to Argentina and Sweden, and a goalless draw with England.
Away from the dugout, he served for many years as a CAF and FIFA technical instructor and remained a vocal critic of Nigeria’s failure to develop home-grown talent. Onigbinde is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
