Former Super Eagles head coach Monday Sinclair has passed away at the age of 88. Family sources confirmed that Sinclair died at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16. He had been battling complications related to diabetes and had been in and out of the hospital in recent years.
Sinclair, who made his mark as a player for the Green Eagles in the 1960s, gained national recognition for his pivotal role in grassroots football development. He is widely celebrated for discovering and mentoring several footballers who would go on to become stars for the Super Eagles, including Peter Rufai, Taribo West, Finidi George, and Idah Peterside.
He began his coaching career with the now-defunct Sharks FC of Rivers State before moving on to manage Niger Tornadoes, Enugu Rangers, and Bayelsa United. In 1997, he was appointed interim coach of the Super Eagles and later served as head coach of the Equatorial Guinea national team.
Sinclair’s death comes just under two weeks after that of former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai, who also died following a prolonged illness.
Paying tribute on Facebook, Idah Peterside, one of Sinclair’s former mentees, described him as a “football father” and credited him for his early development in the sport.
“He signed me to play for Sharks. Gave me my first match against the Niger Tornadoes of Minna. The first day he saw me come to train with Sharks, he said, ‘My friend, are you a boxer?’ He said I was built like Tyson,” Peterside wrote.
“From that day I found me a football father. I became very close to him and his family, with Puppa K as a very close brother.”
Sinclair is remembered as a pioneering figure in Nigerian football whose legacy lives on through the many talents he discovered and mentored.
