- NFF’s fixation for foreign coaches, may have more to do with financial racketeering– Segun Odegbami
The Nigerian Football Federation ( NFF), has picked, ex super eagles star and coach for the U17, U20 team, Emmanuel Amunike, as new head coach for the Nigeria’s senior team, the Super Eagles, according to reports. Amunike will be replacing José Vítor dos Santos Peseiro, the Portuguese coach who led Nigeria to a second-place finish at AFCON 2023
The NFF technical committee is believed to have settled on indigenous recommendations for the coveted job after highly placed Nigerians voiced disgust for the federations incessant want and questionable allure for foreign coaches.
The NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, who initially was said to be keen on enlisting a foreign hand for the job, has reported caved in under pressure as the pushback from powerful nationalistic minded Nigerians, who would rather an indigenous coach, was unrelenting
Official announcement of Amunike as new Super Eagles head coach is expected this week, with Finidi George, Michael Nsien and Emeka Amadi likely to remain part of the coaching crew.
As Nigerians look forward to an indigenous coaching crew taking the nations national team to greater heights, observers are suggesting a laser sharp focus and scrutiny on the qualifications and psychology of those giving the job to head the NFF, to understand the deep seated motive for their incessant attraction to foreign coaches.
Unverified rumoures hint of a cartel within the NFF who uses the opportunity of contracting foreign coaches as channels to defrauding Nigerian tax payers, as alleged on a seperate report by the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner Segun Odegbami
SOURCE: Soccernet, vanguard
IMAGE: Guardian
