I’m Totally Against A Foreigner Coaching Super Eagles – Oliseh

Sunday Oliseh, a former Super Eagles coach and player, has expressed strong disapproval of the decision to appoint a foreign manager to guide Nigeria’s senior national football team, asserting that qualified Nigerian coaches are being unfairly ignored.

During an interview on Channels Sports on Sunday, Oliseh slammed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for selecting Eric Chelle, a French-born former Mali international, to lead the team. Chelle was named in January to succeed Augustine Eguavoen, who had been acting as interim coach.

“I am totally against having that role not being handed over to a Nigerian because we have qualified Nigerians who can do that job,” Oliseh declared.

Since taking charge, Chelle has overseen five matches for the Super Eagles, achieving three victories and two draws, remaining undefeated. However, Oliseh challenged the need for a foreign coach, referencing his own coaching stint and his record of identifying talent.

“When you are talking of a defensive midfield role, I was the one who brought in the young man Wilfred Ndidi. It was at the same time I brought in Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho, and I gave them their first call-up because they had the quality to do it,” he stated.

Oliseh also condemned what he termed as irregularities in the team’s leadership setup, specifically the selection of captains who rarely play on the field.

“This I want to call an anomaly, and it started when we started having on-the-bench sitting captains. You can’t have that, you can’t have your captain sitting on the bench,” he said. “In other words, you are saying it is an assistant that is leading the team. Super Eagles’ role is the most important in Nigerian football.”

Emphasizing the importance of the defensive midfield position, Oliseh commended Wilfred Ndidi’s skills but stressed the necessity for discipline and clear tactical direction in that role.

“If you are going to play that role, you have to be disciplined; secondly, you have to have clear-cut instructions that are laid out. That is why a tactician is very important,” he said.

“For me, it’s one of the most important roles in football. You are the umbrella of the defenders,” he added.

According to reports in the Italian media, former Italy defenders Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci will join Gattuso’s backroom staff, while former national team coach Cesare Prandelli is set to oversee the youth development programmes.

Gattuso assumes control following the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti, who was sacked after Italy’s significant defeat to Norway. Though the Azzurri recovered with a victory against Moldova on Monday, the FIGC chose to change leadership to redirect the team’s path.

Italy will resume action in September with Group I qualifiers against Estonia and Israel, as Gattuso starts his quest to restore the Azzurri to the global stage.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli