165
1980 AFCON-winning Green Eagles captain Christian Chukwu says the memory of claiming the biggest continental football prize ‘can never be forgotten,’ 40 years after lifting the title.
In a chat with brila.net, Chukwu stated that it was a memory never to be forgotten while mentioning some of the gifts showered upon them after they clinched the trophy, such as houses, money and landed properties.
“We are reflecting back, back, 40 years is not 40 days,” the former Super Eagles coach said.
“The whole country was agog, we were showered with gifts: houses, cars, and everything”, He told brila.net.
“And it’s a memory that can never be forgotten.”
Forty years down the line, Chukwu, nicknamed Chairman in his playing days believe a lot of changes have taken place in the game locally.
“During our own time, we were playing amateur football, not professional football,” the 69-year-old informed.
“So, we were totally in love with the game we were playing.
“And I will say that football has improved a lot now, there’s a lot of money in it, there is a lot of facilities now; you see stadiums everywhere unlike before.
“I think football is in the improvement stages,” he said.
Chukwu became the captain of Enugu Rangers 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
