The Nigeria Football Federation has decried, statements in a section of the social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to former Nigeria captain and coach, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, who died on Saturday.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF was owing the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
During the first term of the Board headed by Mr. Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
He continued: “That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
Sanusi concluded: “As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
Chukwu enjoyed a glittering career for club and country both as a player and as a coach.
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 Lagos.
As a player, Chukwu captained the Nigerian national team, then known as the Green Eagles between 1974 and 1980.
He led Enugu Rangers to Continental glory by winning the African Cup Winners Cup in 1977. He also won many laurels for the club as a captain.
He was in the Nigerian squads that won the Africa Nations’ Cup in 1980 and finished runners up in 1976 and 1978.
