contacted Sunday Oliseh for Eagles’ job, the former
national team captain declined on one condition:
He was to assist a yet to be employed foreign
coach.
This was shortly after NFF announced they were
parting ways with Keshi when Sudan beat Eagles,
one of the defeats that contributed to Nigeria’s
failure to qualify for the last Nations Cup.
Oliseh politely turned down the offer even before
external forces imposed Keshi on the federation.
Oliseh felt his pedigree would earn him the top job
and not to assist anybody. He wanted to be in
charge and take full responsibility.
The Pinnick Amaju-led federation respected his
position and left him out and succumbed to the
pressure to re-engage Keshi.
And now that they have, again, parted ways with
Keshi, the federation has, again engaged a foreign
coach to coach the Super Eagles. But the foreign
coach, a Dutch, will be under Oliseh who assumes
the office of Chief Coach or Technical Adviser.
The deal has already been sealed and Oliseh and
his assistant will be unveiled in Abuja next week.
The contracts were signed in London Tuesday.
“You can even report that Jay Jay Okocha is the
next Eagles coach,” Amaju Pinnick jokingly said
when we contacted him for confirmation Tuesday
night.
He would not discuss further details but only
expressed excitement about the roles the Eagles
coaches are expected to play in the development of
football in Nigeria. He spoke to this reporter from
London and these were his words.
“There will be workshops and coaching clinics for
Nigerian coaches. The Eagles’ coaches will be
touring Nigeria to watch league matches and not
like in the recent past when our national coaches
failed to monitor our leagues.
We are initiating so many things that will help our
football. We will develop the game and also aim to
present a good team for the next World Cup. I can
see a bright future”.
Keshi was accused of applying for another job
while still with contract. The NFF terminated his
contract on Saturday.
Oliseh is highly respected at home and abroad. His
television soccer analysis earns him kudos. He is
now expected to practice what he preaches on
television. In principle, he is always firm.
And this paints a picture of his character and
should, perhaps, educate the federation on the
need to make things plain to the new helmsman.
This reporter recalls when he refused to cringe
before a bullying sports ministry at the 2002
Nations Cup in Mali.
The players ended the group stage without
bonuses. Oliseh, as captain, ensured there was
peace and no agitation. “We believe that the
ministry does not have our money yet. And we
believe that they will pay the money when they
receive it.
We are here for the matches and we hope to
continue to win. We are focused on the tournament
and not our bonuses for we know they will surely
be paid later,” Oliseh told the then sports minister,
Mark Aku, in response to the minister’s plea that
they should be patient over their bonuses.
Applause followed Oliseh’s maturity and response.
But when money was eventually sent from Abuja,
the ministry announced changes in flight ticket
refunds.
This was midway into the tournament and the
players felt that they had stomached enough. It
angered them. They downed their boots for a day
and went into the semi final match against Senegal
with audible grumbles.
They lost and coaches Shaibu Amodu and Stephen
Keshi were disengaged from the team. Adegboye
Onigbinde was engaged to take the team to the
World Cup. Oliseh, George Finidi and a few others
were also dropped from the World Cup team. It
was the height of injustice in Eagles and the results
of the Korea-Japan World Cup possibly added
weight to the law of karma.
Thirteen years on Oliseh is back at the national
team as coach. This will delight former NFA
chairman, Yusuf Ali who, before now, strongly
campaigned for the engagement of Oliseh as Super
Eagles coach even as Oliseh was yet to take up
any known top coaching job.
“He is intelligent and it is on that basis that I want
him as coach. If it means Oliseh assisting a
foreign coach and eventually taking over they
should consider that for he is a brilliant guy,” Ali
repeatedly told this reporter who equally published
his views on these pages.
“Yes, Oliseh has been signed,” one top NFF
member confirmed last night. He also confirmed
the Dutch assistant.
Samson Siasia hired Kalika, a Dutch, as his
assistant from the Flying Eagles to his Olympic and
Super Eagles days.
Clemens Westerhof is generally rated as the best
foreign coach Nigeria ever had. He is Dutch also.
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