By Victor Enyinnaya on March 18, 2024

Coach Ladan Bosso’s Flying Eagles were booted out of football event at the ongoing All Africa Games in Ghana by their Senegalese counterparts.  This reporter raised alarm when Bosso was appointed as the team’s head coach and added then that national teams must not be used as rehabilitation arena of coaches that have outlived their usefulness in the game.    Today, Bosso has proved me dead right.  

For the records, I was a Sports Correspondent in the then good and great Daily Times, when this Ladan Bosso reigned as he coached various national teams, but truth is that he harvested mix grill sort of results and because he was well connected with powers that be then, he continued with his “cat with nine lives” toga.

Now, after long term out of the system, they systematically repackaged and imposed him on the Flying Eagles team and his results thus far have remained nothing to write home about.  In short he has proved the biggest flop ever.

But when will Nigeria stop this kind of practices which never enhance productivity but reduce the country to mere huge international ridicule.

Mark it, Ladan Bosso won’t get the boot and more vibrant technically sound young coach employed to handle the second rate team in the country after the Super Eagles.

The dark end of Nigeria’s football still persists as the country’s football governing body NFF is yet to name a replacement coach for Jose Peseiro after his contract was not renewed at the end of last Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast.

The Portuguese led Nigeria to the finals of the football tournament which hosts Cote D’ Ivoire won the trophy.  As the time of putting this article to bed, NFF is yet to pencil down who will head the Super Eagles team either indigenous or foreign.

Time is fast running and qualifiers of either AFCON or World Cup are fast approaching.  Even friendly games organized to tune up the team for the forthcoming qualifiers are yet to take shape.  It is currently dicey.  The exercise has hit the usual controversy.  What is trending now is that the NFF has jettisoned the idea of hiring an indigenous coach as the head coach of the Super Eagles.

Now, the search for a foreign hand continues.  We all knew why this U-turn, the appetite for foreign coach that would attract hard currency as kick back is the in- thing each NFF regime has never let go, whenever this kind of opportunity knocks.  It will linger on like this and at the end of the day, very low foreigner that has very weak football credential will be hired.

Such has been the lot of NFF these while. I didn’t expect an exception this time; I stand to be proved wrong.  There are indigenous hands who would perform and turn the fortunes of the Super Eagles team around.  Make no mistake about it that with the right atmosphere given to the indigenous coach, he would achieve even better than late Stephen Keshi did, despite his wars with Amaju Pinnick led NFF body then.

I thought that everything about the immediate employment of head coach would have been nearing conclusion if not completed by now as Ghana and Cameroun have done.  Far from the truth as the waiting game continues.  This is the Nigerian way.  It is no hidden attitude that something must be grabbed, it is the Nigerian way.

Otherwise why would this forth and back set in again?  Truth is that in Nigeria, the saying “once beaten, twice shy holds no water.   One thought that the NFF will do something different this time. It has been so worrisome to close watchers of the football house that the apex football governing body is sadly still wearing that inglorious toga of a proverbial Leopard that cannot change its spots.

What is happening now as regard the hiring of qualified head coach for Nigeria’s flagship team is not new rather, it is a replay of its antecedents.  The goings on leaves soured taste in the mouth and only the NFF has the gargantuan mouth to explain to Nigerians.  This scenario must stop in order for our football to have fresh breathe that would open up the potentials of the national team.

It will also ensure the gains of the last AFCON would not be wasted one, but impact meaningfully in future outings of the team.  Nothing short of first rate head coach would be good enough for the present Super Eagles team.

The NFF drama on employment of a sound technically sound head coach for the Super Eagles has just began and it would continue until the team runs into hitches of either risking qualification for any of the tournaments or losing out completely there and then, NFF will bring in a journey man as coach for high profile team in the continent like super eagles, a team that is in desperate search to regain once upon a time her respectability among World football playing nations.

It is so funny that NFF has learnt nothing and forgotten nothing.  This columnist will keep our numerous readers posted and join the rest few to ensure NFF is put on its toes though, the body is well known for haven ears and refused to use it to hear. If you like, it’s usual arrogance to power and known age old penchant and refusal to ally with public opinion.  Keep shooting hard till next week. Meanwhile we wait!!

Source Daily Sports Nigeria

Posted March 18, 2024

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