Former head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, Adegboye Onigbinde, is dead. He passed away late Monday evening, four days after celebrating his 88th birthday.

His death was confirmed in a statement issued on behalf of the family by Mrs Bolade Adesuyi, who disclosed that the veteran football tactician had been ill for some time.

Onigbinde, one of Nigeria’s most respected football administrators and coaches, first took charge of the national team in 1983, succeeding Brazilian coach Otto Gloria. During his tenure, he led the then Green Eagles to the final of the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria finished runners-up.

Nearly two decades later, Onigbinde etched his name further into Nigerian football history when he became the first indigenous coach to lead the national team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He guided the Nigeria national football team to the tournament co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.

Widely respected for his discipline, tactical knowledge and commitment to youth development, Onigbinde remained an influential voice in Nigerian football long after his coaching career.

Further details regarding funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family in due course.

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• Summary

• Iranian media says five players secretly left the hotel
• Australian media said players were seeking government help after ‘breaking free’
• Trump says Albanese is doing very good job in ‘delicate situation’

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had spoken to Australian Prime ​Minister Anthony Albanese about the Iranian women’s soccer team after reports that five players had sought asylum in Australia.

Iran’s ‌semi-official Fars news agency said five players in Australia for the Asian Cup secretly left the team hotel with Australian police, and media reports said they were seeking Australian government assistance after “breaking free”.

People attempt to block a bus transporting Iranian players following the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Australia, March 8, 2026. AAP/via REUTERS

After initially posting on social media that Australia was “making a terrible humanitarian mistake” by allowing the team to be sent back home, Trump said in a later post that he had ​spoken to Albanese and that the Australian leader was “doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation”.

Trump said ​five members of the Iran squad “have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way”.

“Some, however, ⁠feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return,” ​he said.

Australia’s SBS News said five players from the Iranian women’s team were now under the protection of the Australian Federal Police, seeking assistance ​from the government. It said government sources had confirmed the reports, adding that Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had flown to Brisbane to meet with the women.

The Iranians’ campaign in the Australian-hosted Asian Cup tournament started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated on ​Sunday after losing 2-0 to the Philippines.

In his earlier post, Trump said members of the team would “likely be killed” if forced to return to Iran. “The U.S. ​will take them if you won’t, ” he added.

Australia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.

FIFPRO VOICES CONCERNS

Soccer’s global players’ union FIFPRO ‌said on ⁠Monday there were serious concerns for the welfare of the Iranian team after being labelled for refusing to sing their national anthem before a game.

The players’ decision to stand in silence during Iran’s anthem before their first match against South Korea was labelled by a commentator on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting as the “pinnacle of dishonour”.

Iranian media quoted Farideh Shojaei, vice president for women’s affairs at the Iranian Football Federation, as saying the team had left ​the hotel through the back door ​with the police.

“We have contacted the ⁠embassy, the football federation, the foreign ministry and anywhere possible to see what will happen,” she said. “We have even spoken with the families of these five players.”

Iranian media named the players as Zahra Sarbali, Mona Hamoudi, Zahra ​Ghanbari, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramazani-Zadeh.

It said other team members were still in Australia and quoted Shojaei ​as saying the squad ⁠had planned to return to Iran via Dubai, but the United Arab Emirates had not allowed them to do so.

It said efforts were now expected to be made for the team to return via Malaysia and Turkey.

The Iranian team sang their national anthem and saluted before their second match against Australia, sparking fears among ⁠human rights campaigners ​that the women had been coerced by government minders.

When asked whether Australia would grant the ​players asylum, Matt Thistlethwaite, the assistant minister for foreign affairs and trade, said the government could not go into individual circumstances for privacy reasons.

-Reuters

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The Nigeria Football Federation has warned that clubs that fail to honour matches during the national preliminary stage of this year’s President’s Federation Cup will face a fine of ₦1 million.

The directive was announced on Monday by the NFF Director of Competitions, Ruth David, as preparations gather momentum for the country’s oldest football tournament.

According to the NFF, the state preliminary rounds of the competition will be held from March 22 to April 26 across the country.

The state qualifiers will begin on Sunday, March 22, with clubs required to honour all fixtures once they have completed registration for the competition at the state level.

David explained that any club that fails to appear for a scheduled match after registration during the state preliminaries will be sanctioned with a fine of ₦500,000.

However, clubs that default at the national preliminary stage will face a stiffer penalty of ₦1 million.

She also directed that the final matches in the various state competitions must be played either on Saturday, April 25 or Sunday, April 26.

Following the conclusion of the state finals, each State Football Association and the Federal Capital Territory will be required to submit two representatives to compete in the national phase of the tournament.

The President’s Federation Cup, formerly known as the FA Cup, remains Nigeria’s oldest domestic football competition and traditionally provides clubs from across the country an opportunity to compete for national honours.

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