Monday Sinclair was Peter Rufai's first coach as a teenager in Sharks FC's academy
Monday Sinclair, former Super Eagles head coach, has died at the age of 88.
According to family sources, the legendary football coach was pronounced dead around 3:15 pm on Wednesday.
Sinclair had been in and out of the hospital for complications of diabetes in recent years.
Before his much-celebrated coaching career, Sinclair played for the Green Eagles in the 1960s.
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He became famous for his work in discovering and nurturing football talent at the grassroots level. He has been credited with unearthing and mentoring eventual Super Eagles stars, including Peter Rufai, Taribo West, Finidi George, and Idah Peterside, among others.
Sinclair started his coaching career with the defunct Sharks FC of Rivers before moving to Niger Tonardoes, Enugu Rangers and Bayelsa United.
He was appointed interim coach of the Super Eagles in 1997 and also served as the head coach of the Equatorial Guinea national team.
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Sinclair’s death comes almost two weeks after Rufai died after battling a long-term illness.
In his tribute on Facebook, Peterside, a former mentee, described Sinclair as his “football father” and narrated how he shaped his career 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.
“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.”
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