Local Coaches Cannot Take Super Eagles Anywhere, Says Jaja

Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board member, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, has urged the federation to search for a foreign coach to revive the falling standard of the country’s football, saying local coaches do not have the ability to lead the Super Eagles.

Speaking on the backdrop of the reported negotiation between the NFF and former Super Eagles’ Captain, Sunday Oliseh, for the vacant national team job,
Jaja said the former Juventus star does not possess the qualities to lift the team at this critical period.

Jaja, who went down memory lane, noted that Nigerian football blossomed especially in the 1980s and 1990s due to the deliberate involvement of expatriate coaches like Father Tiko, Otto Gloria, Manfred Hoener, Clemence Westerhorf and Bonfrere Jo. 


The former chairman of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) argued that aside the 2013 AFCON victory, which he described as a ‘flash in the pan’, the country’s football has been plummetting since 2000 when indigenous coaches mounted the saddle. 


“Since they ( foreign coaches) left, our football has been going down and down. When they were here European clubs used to fall over themselves looking for our players. I have been saying it that we do not have the quality of coaches here that can give us the kind of football we deserve. We have a plethora of talents whose skills needed to be brushed up, harnessed to a winning side, but how can we do this without a quality grade A coach,” he queried.


Jaja expressed his disappointment at the federation’s move to hire Oliseh, saying, “I am surprised that NFF is discussing with Oliseh. I am surprised because I don’t know what they want to achieve by looking in the direction of Oliseh. I know Oliseh as a good football analyst; he was a good player, played football both locally and internationally, captained this country. I also know that he had attended coaching course, but I have never heard that he has coached anywhere. Yes, attending coaching course is totally different from coaching a team at any level at all.


“So I don’t understand how a man I have never heard to have coached at kindergarten, cadet or youth level or at any serious level at all will come and coach a national team such as Nigeria. I am really surprised they are talking to Oliseh. Well, I am not there. They may have facts and statistics that informed their decision but I want to believe that they are not making the decision out sentiment,” he cautioned.


Jaja dismissed Oliseh’s brief stint as coach of a third division club in Belgium as enough qualification for him to aspire to or be considered by NFF for the vacant Super Eagles job.