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NFF accused of sabotaging local coaches

By Nelson Dafe, Benin City on March 15, 2016

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been accused of making it impossible for Nigerian local senior team coaches to succeed.

In a chat with News Express in Benin City, Mr Godwin Oliha, a football enthusiast and division 1 Bendel Insurance FC ardent supporter, cited what he feels is the insistence of the NFF in picking venues and time for the Super Eagles international home games regardless of the opinions of the local coach in charge as a proof that the football governing body is sabotaging the coaches.

Oliha is particularly worried that the choice of Kaduna (which would likely be experiencing a very hot weather on March 25, 2016 – the day for Nigeria’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Egypt) would scupper the Eagles chances of playing well.

“I believe that the NFF are undermining the local coaches by always disregarding their wishes on match venues for Super Eagles home games. Why ask the Eagles to go to what would be a very hot Kaduna weather to play against Egypt. They won't try it with a stubborn foreign coach. Most of the boys who play their club football in Europe will struggle to cope with the Kaduna sun. I felt the Southern part of the country, like Calabar, where the team has played recently would be best for a game of this magnitude,” said Godwin Oliha, a Oliha is a close relative of late Super Eagles midfielder Thompson Oliha.

Continuing, Oliha pointed to Nigeria’s failed attempt in 2005 to qualify for the Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup. “This same scenario played out in 2005 when the Christian Chukwu-coached Eagles were ordered to play their home game against Angola at the Sanni Abacha Stadium in Kano in a crucial must-win World Cup qualifier. It was an unusual environment for the lads and the weather was atrociously hot as well. The result was a lacklustre draw that ensured we didn’t qualify for the World Cup. I smelled sabotage then and I smell it now,” he stated.

•Photo shows NFF President Amaju Pinnick.

Source Daily Sports

Posted March 15, 2016