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| The late Onigbinde |
High Chief Festus Adegboye Onigbinde, Nigeria’s pioneering indigenous coach to manage the Super Eagles team at the World Cup (Korea/Japan 2002), has died at 88, his family announced late Monday, March 9, 2026.
Onigbinde was also Technical Consultant to the Under 17 team of Trinidad and Tobago.
A Modakeke high chief and revered figure in Nigerian football, Onigbinde died just minutes before the heartfelt tribute from Mrs. Bolade Adesuyi on behalf of the family.
“With great gratitude to God for a life well spent,” the statement read, celebrating his roles as a father, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend.
As the first local tactician at the helm of the Super Eagles to a FIFA World Cup, Onigbinde etched his name in history by leading Nigeria’s senior national team when he did.
His visionary coaching contributed to the team’s rise to continental and global prominence, influencing generations of players and coaches.
Beyond the pitch, his contributions to Nigerian football earned him unmatched respect worldwide.
The family expressed profound thanks “for the fulfilled life and your contributions to the Nigeria nation and the world as an unequalled football coach.”
They prayed for his soul to “rest perfectly in the bosom of your & our Lord Jesus Christ,” signing off with a poignant “Good night till we meet to part no more.”
Born March 5, 1938, in Modakeke, Osun State, Nigeria, Adegboye Onigbinde was a Nigerian football coach, administrator and technocrat.
He served as CAF and FIFA technical instructor.
Widely hailed as one of Nigeria’s football icons, Onigbinde devoted decades to nurturing the sport, mentoring countless players and fueling the rise of Nigerian soccer on the global stage.
He scripted history as the first homegrown coach to steer the Super Eagles to the FIFA World Cup, masterminding their qualification for the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.
Final funeral arrangements, we learnt, will be communicated later, just as tributes are already pouring in from football fans, former players, and the Nigeria Football Federation, for the legend whose impact will endure.
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