*WHICH WAY NIGERIAN FOOTBALL ?*

*By FAN NDUBUOKE*

*Once again the issue of hiring a coach for Super Eagles has come to the front burner of our national discuss . It is a huge debate and I must say, it* is *very healthy for sports development ,particularly as it concerns football, the opium of Nigerian people.*

*It is equally encouraging to see the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) throw the job open by calling for applications from* *qualified coaches both local and foreign.*

*Advertising the post which is a massive difference between this board and its predecessor which simply handpicked Gernot Rohr and* *later Jose Peseiro, is a proof that the Ibrahim Musa Gusau - led board is headed for the right direction.*

*A WORD FOR GUSAU*
*While commending Gusau's right step , I must advise the NFF President to beware of his aides and football agents.*

*Experience has shown over time that many of the aides , technical committee members and advisers of the NFF President and even the* *Sports Minister at a time like this are easily compromised.*

*Most of them have vested interest as sponsors or agents of foreign or local coaches . The advice they give in situations like this* *aren't for the interest of the nation's No. 1 sport but to line their pockets and sustain their strongholds.*

*THE STORY OF CHIDI NWANU*
*It may interest the NFF President to listen to this story. Prior to Tunisia AFCON and USA '94 World Cup, a dummy was planted in a* *section of the media to run negative stories about Anderlecht central defender, Chidi Nwanu, who at that time was the best central* *defender in Europe.*

*Each time, Super Eagles list was drawn, Nwanu's name was omitted. They said he shunned invitations. Some said he was arrogant...and* *others said he gave conditions to honour national call by demanding among other things ,a first team shirt and a private jet to fly him to* *and fro Lagos and Brussels.*

*Ace sports journalist now Saturday Editor of Vanguard newspapers, Onochie Anibeze who covered Super Eagles like no other journalist* *did approached me then as a board member of NFF.*

*Onochie gave hints on Nwanu , that contrary to the lies peddled around him , there was no official communication between him* *and the NFF (as now called). I discussed with our boss then late Air Comdr Emeka Omeruah, rtd) who was shocked to say the least.* *He decided to personally invite Nwanu. We moved to his Ikoyi office from where we sent a fax message to Anderlecht and Nwanu* *respectively.*

*Nwanu replied within two hours stating that he had never received any invitation let alone reject or shun such....neither did he give any* *condition to play for his country. He was glad to have been invited and promised to honour the invitation. His club Anderlecht equally* *appreciated the invitation sent to their player. He arrived and showed class all through Super Eagles preparatory* *games leading to the mundial. That was how Chidi Nwanu got into the USA '94 squad to show what Nigeria had missed all along* *having missed Tunisia’94 due to the activities of the fifth columnists in NFF. I guess the President of the NFF may see one or two lessons to* *learn from this story.*

*HIRING OF FOREIGN COACH*
*I have no issues with the idea of hiring a foreign coach for Super Eagles. But I must say* *that such a coach should have what indigenous coaches don’t have. Westerhof succeeded because he was more of a* *manager than a coach. He knew the hotel arrangements, vehicles for training and other logistics that may not suit the boys, he took charge. He* *even had more access to Aso Rock than the administrators . He lived in Nigeria, watched our local league matches, ate our food* *and fell in love with our women or the other way round, I’m not sure. Bonfere and Christian Chukwu were* *more involved with the technical details under his supervision.*

*Days are gone when you bring in a backyard, jobless coach from Europe who hasn’t the pedigree, relatively unknown in coaching circles* *in his native country to lead a big brand like Super Eagles of Nigeria.*

*Football is a global sport. It speaks one language. It carries one identity. A football personality cannot be hidden. Certainly not in* *today's world where a touch on your keypad will give you all you need to know about anyone around the world.*

*Thankfully, Gusau didn't want to repeat errors of the past in hiring coaches for the national team without due* *consultations. Advertising the post as I said earlier shows the maturity and experience in management* *and administration as displayed by the present NFF leadership.*

*However, given the situation of Nigerian economy, particularly the demoralizing parity between our currency and the foreign currencies,* *can we afford to hire a world class foreign coach? If we must,*

*NFF should go preferably for a coach who has handled a first division club or any of the top five clubs in Europe's top eight leagues. Of course,* *playing the game to the level of featuring in the World Cup could be a plus.*

*One only hopes the NFF can pay this class of coaches. Aside securing the services of any of the aforementioned* *class of coaches, the NFF must issue a set of conditions which the coach must agree to.*

*One, he must live or stay here during the period of his contract. Living here makes it easier for him to work with the NPFL on how best to* *develop the domestic game.*

*The whole idea is to come up with a working plan to incorporate local players into the national team.*

*Two, he will work with the coaches of Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles and U-23 Eagles which are feeder teams to Super Eagles. Working with* *these teams will help shape up the quality of players to make up the numbers for the senior national team when their* *foreign counterparts arrive camp for any game.*

*PREFERENCE FOR INDIGENOUS COACHES*
*If the NFF cannot hire a world class coach and the coach cannot live in Nigeria then, the only option left is to* *employ an indigenous coach.*

*Rather than bring in coaches like Rohr or Peseiro, I will prefer we use what we have to get what we need. There are coaches here who are* *better than Rohr or Peseiro.*

*Emmanuel Amunike, Samson Siasia (if he’s eventually off the hook), George Finidi, Daniel Amokachi and Sunday Oliseh are names mentioned* *loudest so far by stakeholders. One or two names here stand out amongst the rest.*

*Arsene Wenger wasn’t a known footballer but he remains one of the best celebrated coaches globally. Fanny Amun was not known* *to have played for a notable club in Nigeria but he won the U- 17 World Cup as a coach.*

*Nobody has told us what laurels Rohr or Peseiro had won before getting Super Eagles appointments.*

*Which player(s) from the U-17 level has Rohr or Peseiro nurtured to stardom that are as big as Kanu Nwankwo, Victor Ikpeba, Celestine Babayaro , Mobi Oparaku, Kelechi Ihenacho, Victor Osimhen and Samuel* *Chukwueze. But some indigenous coaches have nurtured some of these super stars.*

*EGUAVOEN AND FINIDI*
*It is thoughtful of the NFF to keep Austin Eguavoen in his office as Technical Director than allow him to shuttle* *between that exalted seat and the Super Eagles* *training ground.*

*If Eguavoen had been handed the interim job as earlier rumoured, it would have been a disaster in the waiting. His office should be busy* *formulating a playing pattern for our national teams. All national team coaches should be under his* *department* .

*This is why the interim assignment given to George Finidi should be a wake up call to the former Ajax and Real Betis winger. How he* *handles the games against Ghana and Mali will go a long way in how he would be viewed or rated.*

*REPOSITIONING OUR FOOTBALL*
*Sadly, the debate over hiring of foreign coach or not seems to be taking away our attention from the real* *issue...which is repositioning of Nigerian football.*

*The Honourable Minister of Sports should reject the idea of not having an oversight function into the activities of the NFF except it’s for* *personal aggrandizement. Late Emeka Omeruah(PhD) , remains in my opinion, the best NFF president and Sports minister both in terms* *of achievements and style. As a Sports Minister, he held regular meetings with the leadership of the NFF during which times he* *conveyed to the board, the feelings and expectations of the Nigerian football family. He never rebuked or gave them directives publicly . ( He* *was a three -time Sports minister of the Federal Republic).*

*The present minister must know that football is the opium of the Nigerian people. ( the number of Nigerians that died during the just* *concluded AFCON should be an eye opener). The success of his tenure will essentially be measured by our* *achievements in football. He must get involved, albeit remotely.*

*This ritual of recycling of coaches is destroying what is left of our football. Imagine the calamity created by Ladan Bosso in Ghana at the* *13th All Africa Games.*

*Yet a certain Salisu Yusuf is queueing for Super Eagles job. Yusuf has been in and around the various national teams in more than one* *decade without any meaningful contribution or achievement. Same with Bosso who has had four appointments with Flying* *Eagles in the last 17 years and yet have nothing to show for it. When people say the NFF is micro Nigeria , what it means is that all the draw* *backs in Nigeria’s development are present in the Football House. Namely; Religion, Tribalism and Quoter system.*

*Truth be told, the national teams shouldn't be jobs to rehabilitate or recycle coaches. A coach has to prove that he has the* *capacity to handle any of the national teams. When jobs are given on ethnic or religious sentiments, we are* *bound to either remain stagnant or continue with our retrogressive steps.*

• *Fan Ndubuoke is former Special Adviser on Sports to Late Sports Minister Comdr. Emeka Omeruah. He was also national President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). Ndubuoke was a board member of the NFF and immediate past Executive Chairman Imo State Sports Commission.*