Hours after the death of Christian Chukwu, captain of then Green Eagles that won AFCON trophy for Nigeria for the first time in 1980, another member of that historic team has died, reports thegazellenews.com.
Charles Bassey, who was playing for Calabar Rovers during the time of the competition, died same Saturday, 12 April, 2025, after a protracted illness, thegazellenews.com reports further.
Bassey died in his native town of Eket, Akwa Ibom State. He was aged 71.
The Nigeria Football Federation says it is ‘deeply saddened’ by the death on Saturday of another member of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning Green Eagles squad, Charles Bassey. He was 71.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) expressed deep sadness at the death of yet another member of the historic squad describing Saturday, 12 April, 2025 as a day of ‘double tragedy’.
“This has been a day of double tragedy, and the NFF and the entire Nigeria football fraternity are deeply saddened by the turn of events. We lost ‘Chairman’ Chukwu earlier in the day; now, we have to mourn Charles Bassey. May God Almighty grant their souls eternal rest,” NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said.
Forward Charles Bassey was in the 22-man squad that became Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations champions, after a 3-0 defeat of Algeria’s Fennecs at the National Stadium, Surulere on Saturday, 22 March, 1980.
Afterwards, he coached various clubs within the country, including Calabar Rovers, home-town club Mobil Pegasus, BCC Lions of Gboko, Flash Flamingoes of Benin, Akwa United and Wikki Tourists of Bauchi.
His death brings to nine the number of persons in that squad that have departed, following the passing on of goalkeepers Best Ogedegbe and Moses Effiong; defenders Christian Chukwu, Okechukwu Isima and Tunde Bamidele; midfielders Aloysius Atugbu and Mudashiru Lawal; and forward Martins Eyo.
