Nigerians have not witnessed the kind of mixed stories that has characterized the search for a new coach for the senior national team of Nigeria following the exit of Jose Peseiro as the coach of the team in February.
Peseiro who led the team to a second place finish at the AFCON earned the right of first refusal to extend his deal, but declined the contract extension offer from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
His refusal to extend his deal officially opened the door for the NFF to try other options and the football house wasted no time in advertising the position. As expected coaches from all around the world threw their hat into the ring leaving the NFF with the task of picking a suitable coach for the team from the list.
The responsibility was passed on to the technical committee and after almost six hours of going through the list of applicants, they arrived at a three man shortlist which was forwarded to the board of the NFF for consideration and approval.
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A conflict of interest soon ensued with the NFF keen on hiring a foreign coach, while the ministry for sports led by the minister Senator John Enoh feels an indigenous coach is best for the team. That confusion led to the constant change in the news about a new coach for the team.
The ministry has also made it clear to the NFF that they should hire a coach that fits their budget as they won’t be getting any financial support to pay whoever gets the nod as coach. That move arm twisted the NFF into thinking of an indigenous coach but still tested the water by holding talks with a foreign coach yesterday.
The minister wants assurance from the NFF that they will be able to foot the bill of a foreign coach, which will be around $50,000 to $70,000 a month, an amount which will be around 40 times less if an indigenous coach is handed the role.
President of the NFF Ibrahim Musa Gusau returned back to the country yesterday and he is expected to meet with the minister for the go ahead to take the next step in making the news of the new coach official.
For now there is a foreign coach waiting for the outcome of that meeting and two indigenous coaches in Emmanuel Amuneke and Finidi George, who are also in the mix ahead of an official announcement later today or by the end of this week.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleman
