NFF why delay in appointment of new Super Eagles coach?

I have waited for the NFF since the end of the AFCON about two months ago to appoint and announce the next coach of our senior national football team, “the Super Eagles” without any success.

Football-loving Nigerians have equally been waiting just like me with bated patience for the NFF to inform them who the new coach of our dear Super Eagles is.

And our collective wait seems not to be ending any time soon. Not with the NFF helping matters with their solitary silence which makes our wait more hypertensive and strangulating.

Because Nigerians don’t really understand the reason or cause for the delay.

And Nigerians are beginning to mutter aloud that the unnecessary delay in the appointment of the next Super Eagles coach after the exit of foreign coach, Jose Peseiro.

This portends grave danger to our qualification to the next World Cup.

Let’s not forget that the next round of the World Cup qualifying series comes up in barely a month and few weeks in June.

Let’s also not forget that our Super Eagles started our World Cup qualification journey on a serious back foot – playing two matches so far and scrambling just two points out of maximum six points.

And also, let’s not fail to remember that we are starting the crucial coming World Cup qualifiers almost afresh as the foreign coach that led us through the earlier two disastrous qualifiers, where the Eagles fumbled, has since abdicated his contract with us and left the country.

We must therefore remember that the new Super Eagles coach is coming with his own ideas and vision for the Super Eagles and he would definitely need some time to blend a new team that I believe will be away from the current wholesale foreign-based players deployed by the departed Peseiro, which backfired both for the coach and the nation.

These Important reminders are what is making me and Nigerians very worried because if we do not prepare well for the next round of World Cup qualifiers and go ahead to bungle the upcoming June matches like we did in the earlier two, then, we might as well bid goodbye to the next World Cup Tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The NFF just finally appointed U17 World Cup-winning coach, Manu Garba, as the new coach of the Golden Eaglets.

And this is coming barely one month to the U17 qualifiers.

Nigerians are already commenting on that, why it should take the NFF this long to appoint Manu, knowing the schedule of the U17 Qualifiers?

Nigerians are raising serious concerns about why it is taking the NFF long time to appoint the coaches of the senior national teams.

We saw the very late appointment of Ladan Bosso as the coach of the Flying Eagles to the African Games and the embarrassing results that late appointment gave us.

So, my question is – “NFF, what’s causing the delay in the appointment and announcement of the new Super Eagles coach?

Football Legend Segun Odegbami has voiced out his concerns on the delay, admonishing the NFF that the appointment of a coach for the Super Eagles is not a “rocket science”, but a simple decision to make and announce to Nigerians within the shortest time to enable the Super Eagles start getting ready for the qualifiers, which we have started badly.

Other respected and knowledgeable football minds have also said exactly the same thing,  that the unnecessary delay in the appointment of the next coach of the Eagles is hurtful to our World Cup qualification chances.

Yes, the delay in the appointment of a Super Eagles coach is indeed confounding because the complexities of the matter of who to appoint have been sorted out long ago even before coach Peseiro quit.

Nigerians have made their choice of the next Super Eagles coach known. Nigerians have said clearly that this time, they want an indigenous coach for the Eagles.

This is a Nigerian Coach who knows who knows our country, our people, our football culture and pattern. And most importantly, a Nigerian coach with the avowed passion to serve his Fatherland.

An indigenous coach who will sit down here in the country and watch our Nigeria League matches and scout the many gifted players who play in our home leagues.

I have personally thought hard on the possible cause of the delay in the appointment and announcement of the new coach to Nigerians who it’s their right to be so informed because the Super Eagles is the senior national team and the property of Nigerians.

 All my deep thoughts on the reason for the delay have not yielded me anything positive.

I just hope that the needless delay is not linked to the recent upsurge of the apostles of foreign coach mentality syndrome who seem to have recovered from the shock exit of Peseiro, who the apologists clamoured for his retention.

That will be too bad if the consideration of another foreign coach is the reason for the delay in the appointment of the new Super Eagles coach.

We have said it countlessly that the records of the past foreign coaches of the Super Eagles have not shown that they are better than our indigenous Nigerian coaches who have handled the Super Eagles.

Not forgetting that our clear economic situation cannot afford the payment of a foreign coach which is not a necessary lmportation item as we have a lot of indigenouscCoaches to do the job and better.

NFF, Nigerians have spoken loud and clear to your hearing that they want an indigenous coach for our Super Eagles.

Nigerians have also spoken of the indigenous coach they want for our Super Eagles.

He is no other than Super Eagles Legend and U17 World Cup-winning coach Emmanuel Amuneke.

PLEASE NFF SAVE THE NATION UNWARRANTED SUSPENSE AND TORTURE AND GIVE US THE NEXT SUPER EAGLES COACH WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY!

By Barrister lyke lgbokwe *Torchlight Of Nigeria Football*