CEO of Airpeace Alex Onyema has recently waded in on the rancour in selecting the next coach for the super eagles, after the departure of former Portuguese tactician Jose Peseiro.
Peseiro who lead the Nigerian Super Eagles to a second-place finish at the just concluded 2023 Africa Cup of nations, with host Ivory Coast taking the top spot, is not making the job of choosing his replacement an easy one for a Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) notorious in its inexplicable longing for foreign handlers
As the NFF yet again finds itself at the center of attention as it deals with a barrage of applications to fill the vacant spot left by Peseiro, Nigerians are already pre-empting any plans for a foreign replacement by vocalising their demand and preference for a native handler, with Air Peace’s boss Alex Onyema leading the charge
Onyema, not only a titan in the business world but also a fervent football enthusiast and ardent supporter of the Super Eagles, has voiced his discontent with the apparent preference for a foreign coach over a local candidate.
Onyema, a heavy weight in a field of business dominated by non-Africans and a diehard super eagles fan, is not hiding his displeasure for the questionable, constant craving for Caucasian coaches over local candidates by NFF
In a bold move to end what many describe as a shameful symptom of slavery and colonisation, Onyema is calling on fans and well meaning Nigerians to support his demand for a native coach, stating that Nigeria has coaches who are more than qualified to guide the national team. He also added that if the NFF insist on going foreign, he will not think twice in taking court action again the board of NFF
Expressing his frustration to City People Online, Onyema stated,
“I don’t see the reason why we cannot have a look into the country and get somebody out there that will take on the Super Eagles. As far as I am concerned, Eguavoen succeeded to some level.
“A lot of them succeeded. The truth is that when a foreign coach bows out from the group stage, nobody talks; when a Nigerian coach bows out from Quarterfinals or semi-finals, oh, if it had been a foreign coach, we would have won the cup.
“Nobody gives Nigerian coaches a chance. Nigerians should rise up against any NFF that goes again to get any idiot as a foreign coach.
“We don’t need a foreign coach; let us grow our own. Let us even save the naira. Let us grow our own and give the Nigerian coach the same incentive you give the foreign coach and see them excel.
“In fact, we should go to court to stop NFF from employing foreign coaches; I will join you, I am telling you.
“And I will fund it. We should go to court. We must begin to love this country; that’s all I have to say about this NFF now.”
It is on record that the late Stephen Okechukw Keshi, engineered Nigeria’s last triumph at the AFCON in 2013.
IMAGE: Pm news
