Maturity, mutual respect key to success, Onigbinde tells Eguavoen, Amuneke

Warns media against the unhelpful comparison of both coaches 

Former Super Eagles Coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, has advised the team’s Interim Coach, Augustine Eguavoen and his new assistant, Emmanuel Amuneke, that only mutual respect and desire to make a difference can lead them to success in the task of managing the senior national team.

Onigbinde described Eguavoen and Amuneke as top coaches, who have handled national teams at different levels in the past, adding that it is pertinent for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to clearly delineate the coaches’ roles to avoid conflicts.

He said the two former international stars’ exposure will come in handy and help them raise a formidable squad that will overcome Blacks Stars of Ghana in next month’s FIFA World Cup final qualifying round.

Onigbinde also tasked the NFF to design programmes for coaches’ education in the country, just as he urged the federation to fashion out talent discovery plans that will take care of the talents scattered across the country.

Dismissing the insinuation that appointing Amuneke, who had previously handled a senior national team, to assist Eguavoen would cause friction between the two coaches, Onigbinde said: “They are well exposed in football and if they show maturity in their relationship, the job will be so easy for them.

“Working as an assistant to Eguaveon is a role given to Amuneke, which does not make him a servant. However, the NFF needs to coordinate the two coaches and ensure that their roles are clearly spelt out.

“Another source of possible friction among members of the current technical crew is the media. When the media starts comparing Eguavoen and Amuneke’s abilities, it sometimes brings disunity to the team.

“The media should please allow the two coaches to do their jobs. The coaches need a healthy environment to carry out their duties effectively.

“I also think the NFF should start working on talents discovery projects to harness all the talented youngsters the country has been blessed with.

“Having worked with FIFA and visited several African countries, I have discovered that Nigeria has more football talents waiting to be discovered than other countries. A good national team coach should be able to discover  talents, nurture them and expose them to the  world.”