‘Appointment of new coach good for Eagles’

The first graduate to play for the national team formerly known as the Green Eagles, Dr. John Oganwu, is of the view that the change of guard in the Super Eagles’ coaching crew from Stephen Okechukwu Keshi to Sunday Ogorchukwu Oliseh is one of the best things to happen to the country’s football in many years.

Keshi, a former captain of the Super Eagles, was relieved of his job earlier this month by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Keshi hails from Illa, Oshimili North Local Government area of Delta State. He is replaced by a fellow Deltan, Oliseh, who hails from Abavo in Ika South area of the state.

As Oliseh was being unveiled in Abuja yesterday, some skeptics, including former international, Emeka Ezeugo, were crying blue murder and pointing accusing fingers at the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, saying he used ‘ethnic sentiment’ in the employment of a coach for the senior national team. But Oganwu, a native of Illa (home of Stephen Keshi), sees nothing wrong in the choice of Oliseh as replacement for Keshi.

“It is sad that some Nigerians still put sentiment in everything they do, and this is not good for our sports,” Oganwu told The Guardian in a telephone chat yesterday. “The NFF President (Pinnick) is an Itsekiri man, while Keshi and Oliseh are from the Igbo speaking area.

In my playing days in the Green Eagles, Bendel State had seven regular players featuring in the national team, and we did so well. There is nothing wrong in the choice of Oliseh because I see him as an academician, who is coming to inject a new pattern of coaching into the system. I want Nigerians to understand that the gospel of quota system does not carry any weight in sports,” Oganwu stated.

Oliseh (born 14 September 1974) captained the Super Eagles at the 2000 edition of the African Nations Cup, which was co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria. The Eagles lost on penalty to the Lions of Cameroun in Lagos.

A physical, technical defensive midfielder, Oliseh played 54 international matches and scored two goals for Nigeria. He was part of the all-conquering Dream Team that won the Olympic gold medal at Atlanta ‘96.

He was also a member of the Super Eagles’ squad to USA ‘94 and France ’98 World Cups. He is mostly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the group stage match against Spain at France ’98, as Nigeria prevailed 3–2.

A throw-in deep in the Spanish half was headed clear by a defender, but a lurking Oliseh ran and fired an explosive shot from 25 yards that took Spanish goalkeeper, Andoni Zubizarreta, completely by surprise.

He went on to captain the Super Eagles to a bronze medal finish at the Mali 2002 African Nations, but Oliseh was omitted from Korea/Japan World Cup squad later that year for disciplinary reasons, after leading what the late Sports Minister, Ishaya Mark Aku, perceived as rebellion against government, over his demand for higher wages for the players.

Oliseh retired from international football in June 2002 after missing out on World Cup selection.

In March 2004, Oliseh was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after punching teammate Vahid Hashemian while on loan at VfL Bochum. He finally quit professional football in January 2006 at the age of 31 after playing a half season for Belgian top club, K.R.C. Genk.

Thirteen years after, Oliseh is back in the saddle, this time, as coach of the Super Eagles. His message at his unveiling in Abuja yesterday was: “I come to serve my country, not to wage a war.”