Former Super Eagles’ coach, Samson Siasia, discusses life
outside the pitch. In this interview, he also unveils another
side of him
How is life after being a national coach?
Life, for me, continues even after coaching the national team.
I am actually busy with an academy that is situated in Bayelsa
State. We are trying to see how we can get the young ones off
the streets and engage them in something positive.
Do you have a target as regards football?
Target would be to understudy coaches and this involves
training them in the art of managing the game of football; just
the way it is done in Barcelona, Arsenal and others. For now,
I am just trying to get the academy started in Bayelsa, it is a
project that is sponsored by the state government.
What is the progress of work in the academy?
The stage we are in now is the initial stage, which is
acquisition of the land that we will build the academy on and
taking delivery of the sports equipment. After that, we will
start scouting for the young ones, mostly Bayelsans, who are
skilled enough to train. In the long run, we will expand the
project to a national level. It is a project that combines
education with sports.
How does it feel to have the Bayelsa stadium named after
you?
The biggest thing any living person would want to achieve is
to have a living legacy. There is no amount of ‘thank you’
that would be enough for the state government for allowing
the Bayelsa State stadium be named after me. I feel greatly
honoured for the rare privilege of being made a living legend.
I am indebted to the state because it is what some people
never had before they died. This is something I would cherish
for the rest of my life.
How was your growing up days like?
I grew up in Ajegunle, Lagos and it was a very tough
experience. Back then in the 80s, you could not even tell a
girl that you lived there because she would not go out with
you.
What did you have to do to get a lady’s attention?
If you are trying to get a lady’s attention and she wanted to
know where you lived, you would not say Ajegunle, you
would say ‘Apapa.’ Apapa is a more refined name than
Ajegunle.
At what point did you decide to become a footballer?
Right from when I was a little kid, I showed potential. There
was a football field in Navy ground, Ajegunle, and that was
where all the young boys played.
Women love famous people, how do you handle some of
them that may throw themselves at you?
You don’t have to be snobbish. One should talk to them
politely, thank them for their compliments and if you are not
interested in the advances, let them know politely. When you
are star, you have to be nice and polite.
You are mostly dressed in white, is there anything special
in white?
White is a good colour, you can combine white with a lot of
other colours. I guess it looks good. I do not wear just any
kind of white shirts. They are selected and are special white
shirts. It is not like there is anything special, but it is what I
just like to wear sometimes.
Are they designer shirts?
Of course, they are. The ones I wear are from Prada.
Are you a label freak?
No. I wear any kind of design that looks good on me. If I am
going to wear only Prada all through, that means I am being
sponsored by Prada to wear their designs. But it has to be
something that suits me and makes me look good. Other than
that, I can get into Gucci or any other store and pick up
something but it has to make me look good.
What does style mean to you?
Style is when you come out, people admire you and tell you
that you look good.
What are the clothes that make you comfortable?
Sometimes, T-shirts, which I wear mostly in the evenings. If I
go to the office, I dress in suit and a tie.
What is your favourite fashion accessory?
I am a shoe freak; I have over 40 pairs of shoes.
That means in a week you wear up to 10 pairs?
I just change them to suit what I am wearing.
What would you never be caught wearing?
Agbada and that funny hat. I have never worn it before but
they gave it to me as a gift when I visited one of the states in
Nigeria. I only wore it on that occasion and since then, I have
not worn it. But I like dressing in suits, trousers and shirts. I
also don’t wear so much of the native designs from my area; I
have only worn them once or twice
Is your wife a football addict?
No. She is not.
You don’t watch football together?
Once in a while she does. Like when the Super Eagles are
playing, she would be very excited. When I was coaching, she
could not watch, she would be walking around, praying.
Then, people would think she was crazy if they did not know
what she was doing. She has never watched me on the field of
coaching.
Does she accompany you when you are at work?
When I was a coach in the national team, we moved together.
She watched tournaments especially when we were in Europe,
but she is not a soccer freak.
So, she was not attracted to your skills on the field?
When I met her, she did not know anything about sports, she
did not know I was a footballer, she found out later.
Where did you meet her?
We met in Benin, where I was based at the time.
What was the attraction?
She was a beautiful young lady, I liked her, we started
hanging out and eventually got married.
For how long have you been married?
For a very long time.
Was this before you played in international clubs?
Yes, we travelled together; had kids, now they live in the
United States.
What is your favourite food?
I love rice, plantain and some eggs.
Is there any food you don’t take?
I am very selective, I don’t eat just any kind of food and I
don’t like amala at all! I take the local delicacy but that is
only once in a while. I don’t eat starch either. I only eat the
Kekefiyai, that is the best delicacy from Bayelsa State.
Aside football, how do you unwind?
I create time to have fun and hang out with my friends.
Any regrets in your chosen career?
I did not play for the biggest clubs in the world. The biggest
club I ever played for was in France and I was not as
successful as other Nigerian players who played in big clubs
in Europe. I am okay with what I have been able to do so far.
There are no regrets; I only hope that I would be able to affect
more lives before I leave this earth. That is why I am trying to
touch a lot of lives, trying to help the young ones.
Do you have dreams?
Yes I do. I always dream that someday I will become a Super
Eagles’ coach again and learn from the mistakes that I have
made before. I want to build a nice empire, where I will be
able to create jobs for young men, so they will be empowered
to take care of their families. I want to make sure I take care
of my kids and give them the best education there is in the
world.