On Wednesday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced they were in talks with former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, to replace sacked Stephen Keshi as the head coach of the National team.
Top sources within the Federation, however, say the deal is almost done and Oliseh will be presented next week as the new Nigeria coach.
Some ex-internationals have expressed diverse views over whether a combination of former Super eagles midfielder, Sunday Oliseh, his Dutch assistant and a local assistant appointed by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) could work smoothly.
A former Flying Eagles brilliant sensation in his playing days, Etim Esim said the combination would not work but Victor Agali believes the combination could work out better for the National team, according to a report by Edeki Igafe.
Esim said it could have been better to allow Oliseh to look inwards and appoint his assistant.
Oliseh was recently considered for appointment as the chief coach of the senior National team, shortly after Stephen Keshi was relieved of his appointment.
“During Samson Siasia’s time at the Super Eagles helm, he appointed his friend from Netherland as assistant. Are you saying that we don’t have good coaches in Nigeria to assist Oliseh?
“Oliseh was coaching a third division team in Belgium but I doubt if he has the quality to handle the Eagles, Etim said.”
“He could have started from the U-20, the U-23, so, that we look at his performance, before graduating him to handle the Eagles. The NFF is looking for ‘loyalty’,” he added.
The former Lokeren of Belgium attacking mid-fielder said during the era of Keshi as Eagles’ coach, he appointed Daniel Amokachi and others to assist him.
Esim added that they performed well before they were shown the way out.
“Oliseh cannot be compared to Keshi when it comes to Nigerian football; Keshi can never be loyal to people around him.
“If NFF wants a foreign coach, they should go for a capable and experienced one, instead of bringing a foreigner to assist Oliseh.”
“For Oliseh to work with a Whitman behind him as assistant is a wrong combination that will not lead us to anywhere,” he concluded.
However, Agali, former Super Eagles and Shalke 04 of Germany striker said the combination would be good for the National team, saying this could give the coaching crew the edge over their predecessors.
“Oliseh is a disciplined and straightforward person; appointing a foreigner to assist him will give the crew an edge over previous coaches in the country, “Agali said.
“So, it a right step to the right direction, all we need to do is to give them the maximum support to enable them to deliver on their mandate,” he further said.
Principled, eloquent, strong-willed and passionate are all attributes that Oliseh has come to be known for. In addition, a keen analytical mind has also shone through in his appearances as a TV pundit for African pay TV channel SuperSport.
More importantly, Oliseh has acquired UEFA’s Pro License, one of the highest and most respected coaching qualifications worldwide.
His membership in FIFA’s Technical Study Group over the past two years, and there is plenty of room for optimism.
However, Oliseh’s biggest drawback is that he is a little light in the actual experience department, having only ever coached in the Belgian lower League.
But considering no African has managed a top-flight European team despite many acquiring badges, that is an achievement in its own.
In similar cases, the likes of Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Berti Vogts, Rudi Voller, Jurgen Klinsmann, Dunga and others went straight from playing to coaching with relative success.
Oliseh is acknowledged as one of the most cerebral players Nigeria have produced, a trait that is largely responsible for sparking the current wave of optimism.
A youth development program is also scheduled to begin later this year, and this is where Oliseh comes in.
He arrives with Jean Francois Losciuto, a Belgian who also holds a UEFA license and was assistant to Oliseh during his coaching time coaching at RCS Verviers before he became a director of the youth academy at Belgian club RFC Liege.
Losciuto went on to coach Rwandan club Rayon Sport and Burkina Faso champions ASFA Yennenga.
Included in Oliseh’s proposed job description is an agreement that will see him draw up a five-year development plan for the restructuring of the game in Nigeria.
In this respect, he will work with local coaches to draw up policy and a correlative playing philosophy for Nigerian football at all levels. Losciuto will have direct oversight of that department.
Seyi Akinwunmi, NFF first vice president says the Federation is thinking long term.
“For too long we have been looking at immediate gains and losing sight of the future. Our game is in a mess. The only way to make things work is to start from the root. And that’s why we went for someone like Oliseh, who is not only a local and understands what the problem is, but has the global expertise to apply it to our peculiar situation, Akinwunmi said.”
Oliseh and the NFF will site down after 12 months to review progress on the benchmarks set. No contract has been signed yet, no work done.
Hopefully, the dawn of a new Eagles beckons on Oliseh and only time will tell.
Anthony Nlebem
@AnthonyNlebem
