Nigerian : The Bizarre Search For A Foreign Coach

Like a stack of domino tiles falling on each other, the NFF (Nigerian Football Federation) just cannot stop its descent into oblivion, even when it seems harder to fall. The much delayed search for a world class coach to tutor the Nigerian soccer team to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa has yet again exposed the pervasive incompetence that litters Football House.

While many soccer pundits had called for the removal of Shuaibu Amodu as head coach of the team a long time ago, the administrators at the glass house insisted on “swimming and sinking” with the technically bereft gaffer.

With the larger chunk of soccer loving Nigerians now in unison as to the inability of Amodu to credibly discharge his duties without making a mockery of the Nigerian national team, the NFF finally decided to jump from the “sinking” ship they had hitherto promised to go down with! A laughable set of demagogues doing just what they know best.

The timing of the eventual sacking of Amodu portends dangerous consequences for the national team’s chances at the summer tournament in South Africa.

The technical department of the NFF had been hoping against hope itself, believing that Amodu would suddenly transform into a knowledgeable tactician overnight, even though the facts of the matter were constantly sprawled on the pitch of play for all to see; they were wishing for a pig to fly! Had the NFF taken the needed step when it ought to have, we would have had a team gearing up for the 2010 World Cup by now.

Sadly we have been thrown into further disarray by a set of befuddled football administrators who still cannot distinguish between a world class coach and a foreign coach.

Head of the technical committee of the NFF, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi and the spokesman for Football House, Ademola Olajire recently revealed that the board had shortlisted six “foreign” coaches for the vacant position hitherto held by Amodu, even though the list has insidiously expanded to 10 over the past two days.

This is an act of flippancy at the very least, and without shame we are exposing our retrogressive nature to the world. By publicly shortlisting different coaches with different coaching styles, technical abilities and varied nationalities, the NFF technical team has clearly stated that it lacks understanding of what needs to be done to get the Eagles on their feet.

This is a clear indictment on the NFF and its technical committee, and it shows just how much they really understand football administration.

Prior to the hiring of the last foreign technical adviser of the team, Berti Vogts, the NFF technical committee had gone on a spendthrift sojourn to Europe without the littlest idea of what they wanted. They eventually ended up with the German tactician, whose style and brand of football was not in tandem with the available qualities of players in the team, and gave him a contract that saw him spend more time with his family in Germany than with the national team.

Eventually they had to unceremoniously sack the former German national coach after the Eagles laboured to the quarter-final stage of the 2008 edition of the African Nations Cup.

The NFF are once again ambling along that path and it would appear that we will end up in the same sad state we were in after the 2008 Nations Cup. Giovanni Trapattoni, Guus Hiddink, Loius Van Gaal, Bruno Metsu, Ratomir Djukovic, Hassan Shehata, Peter Taylor, Claude Leroy, Herve Renard, Sven Goran Ericson, Bonfere Jo etc.

The list keeps populating and the confusion grows thicker! Who do we really need to fully explore the potentials of the Nigerian team?

The NFF has also decided to hire a coach on a short-term basis, just for the World Cup. How well can we develop as a nation with these short-term and myopic strategies that will eventually boomerang in our faces. After every disastrous outing of the team since 1998, the NFF informs us that it will return to the proverbial “drawing board” to make changes and long term plans, yet we keep spiraling down and down the drain.

The few coaches that have succeeded in Nigeria have worked with the team for at least three years. Westerhoff, Bonfere Jo and even Samson Siasia have had a relatively lengthy period to study the teams they have had to work with. They had ample time to monitor several players that could fit into their game plan, and one noticeable feature was that at every point they had at least two players for every position - very much unlike Amodu who could not do without his trusted “injured” players.

If the NFF insists on hiring a “foreign” coach on a short-term basis, then soccer loving Nigerians should be ready for further heartbreak and soccer disaster.

The probable candidates and their pros and cons

Giovanni Trapattoni: Too old to handle the shenanigans of the Nigerian football administrators, his success lies in club football not with national team sides. He has very little to show for his stints with Italy and Ireland. He is a “world class” coach undoubtedly, but not the sort of coach that can effectively manage a complicated country like Nigeria. Rating: **

Hassan Shehata: The record-breaking coach of the Pharaohs of Egypt extended his contract with the Egyptian FA last week, so he may not be coming to Nigeria after all. His preferred style of football, which makes use of quick counter-attacks and a winged attacking formation would adapt quite well with the Nigerian team. I am, however, skeptical of his ability to adapt properly to the politics and tactics of soccer in sub-Saharan Africa, as he has spent his entire managerial career in the northern part of Africa and Oman. Rating:**

Louis van Gaal: The Dutchman at present appears too committed to Bayern Munich to want to leave. He would also not be able to understand the devious politics of the Nigerian Football Federation. Van Gaal has not succeeded with any national team before, despite his many successes at club level, and even failed to qualify the Netherlands to the 2002 World Cup. He has absolutely no experience in handling an African side! He would always be attracted to European club football and as such would not stay to build a team after the World Cup. Not a good choice. Rating:*

Guus Hiddink: Hiddink is undoubtedly one of the top choices for the position, as his pedigree needs no further repetition. His name speaks for itself, his experiences at the World Cup make him a top candidate for the position. However he has little understanding of the African soccer terrain. He would find the NFF an impossible organization to work with.

The Dutch tactician may however flee a few weeks before the tourney kicks off. His penchant for discipline would put him at constant loggerheads with the Nigerian FA. He is currently still under contract with the Russian FA, he might not be allowed to leave by the European side, and even at that he would definitely not be available to build the Nigerian team after the World Cup ends. Tough call! Rating:**

Bruno Metsu: Sojourned too far away from African football, but his tactical strength is indisputable. Many Africans have not heard of the Kenny G lookalike since his exploits with Senegal at the 2002 World Cup. His ability to read games deeply is what would probably be his strongest point in getting called to the position.

His successes with Al Ain FC (United Arab Emirates) and Al Gharafa (Qatar) were quite legendary. He currently coaches the Qatari national team. Metsu would be a good candidate for the position, having coached Guinea and Senegal, giving him some considerable exposure to the arduous politics prevalent in the continent’s soccer administration. Rating:***

Bonfere Jo: Yes, he understands the Nigerian FA politics, but does he still have the technical prowess to handle a psychologically demoralised team? I think not. Rating:*

Sven Goran Eriksson: Only learned a few hours ago that he dropped in his resume with the NFF. I really don’t think he qualifies as a “world class” coach. A foreign coach? Yes! But definitely not a “world class” coach. He did not have a particularly successful time with the English national team, and his time with Mexico was woeful! His best periods are well behind him, during his time at Italian giants Lazio. His current “charity work” with Notts County, an English League 2 club, best describes the level of demand placed on him. Rating:*

Ratomir Dujkovic: His ability to navigate “harsh” terrains would no doubt count well for the Serbian tactician. He has been in Venezuela and Myanmar achieving modest success before coming into Rwanda and giving the country a name on the African soccer scene. He qualified the Wasps to their first African Nations Cup in 2004, knocking out Ghana from the qualifying race. His team performed well at the tourney held in Tunisia, where they almost made it through to the quarter-final stage.

He moved to Ghana that same year, where he helped the team qualify for the 2006 World Cup. But the Serbian has a game plan that would not appeal well to Nigerians. His formation takes on a sedentary form, always waiting to absorb pressure from the opponents and hitting them on the break. Nigerians do not want another Amodu, so they might not like the Serbian. However, Dujkovic knows how to play the politics of African soccer federations and he would really appeal to the NFF. Bad for Nigerian football if you ask me! Rating:****

Peter Taylor: Are you kidding me? Rating: No way!