The job of coaching the senior national team of Nigeria is one that usually appeals to former players of the team especially those who have played and also coach abroad.
Such is the lure that of the indigenous coaches who have worked with the team, six out of them of have all been former captains of the team with Austine Eguavoen the last ex captain to have handled the team.
Former captain Joseph Yobo worked with the team for two years without any coaching badge, one of the ills of ex president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick. So it’s a thing of shock when a former player of the team with a UEFA coaching license isn’t keen on the job in the future.
That individual is John Utaka who represented Nigeria at two different World Cups and presently works as an assistant coach in the Montpellier U19s set up. He already has his UEFA A licence.
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As he inches towards bagging a UEFA Pro license that will enable him coach at any level in Europe, his sight isn’t on returning to handle the national team of Nigeria rather he is dreaming of making history as the first African coach to win the UEFA Champions League with a team in Europe.
“If the opportunity comes to coach a team in Europe, I will embrace it,” Utaka said. “My dream is to win the trophies that I didn’t win as a player. I want to win them as a coach. We’ve never had an African coach win the Champions League. That is a goal for me”, he told DW.
“When you get your chances, you have to take them,” said Utaka. “We have to persist, we cannot lose hope. We have to push and push. Football is a team sport, and we have to work together and learn from others.”
Osas Mahawi
