The Nation Newspaper

Tag: coaches

  • 27 coaches battle for ABS managerial position

    27 coaches battle for ABS managerial position

    As at the last count, 27 top rated coaches have applied for the vacant managerial position at Nigeria National League side, Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC.

    A top source in the club revealed to SportingLife that the top hierarchy of the Ilorin based club are surprised at the applications from leading coaches in the country who are all jostling for the Technical Adviser job of ABS which became vacant after Kabiru Suleiman Dogo left the club for Nasarawa United recently.

    The official said that the club’s management would soon sit in the coming days to prune down the list of applicants based on the requirements they have outlined.

    ABS got relegated to the lower league last season despite a late rally to avoid the drop. They ended the season with 50 points from 38 matches and placed 18th in the 20 team table.

  • Life in the lower league: ABS GM warns players, coaches

    Life in the lower league: ABS GM warns players, coaches

    ABS General Manager, Alloy Chukwuemeka has warned players and officials of the club to brace up for a fight in their bid to return to the elite division as they resume today for pre-season activities ahead of the National League season.

    Chukwuemeka, in a mail to SportingLife, said ABS FC decided to begin preparations for the 2013/2014 Nigeria National League (NNL) season so that the club can fashion out ways to negotiate their way back to the top flight.

    He, therefore, directed that all coaches and players of the club should resume at the team’s playing ground at the Kwara Football Academy by 7.00am today. The players are to come with their kits as they will commence training immediatelly.

    Following the relegation of the club at the end of the 2012/2013 Premier League season, ABS will now campaign in the NNL, and have been placed in the Southern Division of the cadre for the season.

    Chukwuemeka confirmed that the club would lose the services of some notable players who have teamed up with some Premier League Clubs.

    He added that the immediate task at hand was to return the team to the elite league, even as he called for support from fans, supporters, and stakeholders.

    He then commended the proprietor of the team, Senator (Dr) Abubakar Bukola Saraki (CON), for keeping faith with his vision of using the team to empower and develop young people.

    ABS were relegated alongside Ilorin-based club, Kwara United at the end of the 2012/2013 season and both clubs.

  • Coaches’ union denounces Niger FA coaches’ suspension

    Coaches’ union denounces Niger FA coaches’ suspension

    • Says Bosso’s leadership remains authentic
    • Slams NFF on Keshi’s salary

    The umbrella body of coaches in Nigeria, the Nigeria Coaches’ Association (NCA) has denounced the alleged suspension of the Niger State Coaches’ Association by the Niger State Football Association, saying the Ladan Bosso-led executive remains a recognised body.

    In a statement signed by the Secretary of the NCA, Solomon Ogbeide, the purported suspension of the Bosso-led executive is null and void, stressing that the NCA would never recognise the imposed executive.

    According to Ogbeide, the suspension runs foul of Article 10.6 of the NCA constitution as the right to suspend any of the states’ branches resides with only the NCA.

    “Our attention has been drawn to the purported suspension of the Niger State Coaches’ Association by the Niger State Football Association and we want to remind them that they have no such right,” he said.

    The NCA scribe added: “As an elected body, the various states’ coaches’ associations are not under the control of the states’ football association and Article 10.6 is explicit on this. Therefore, the Ladan Bosso-led executive remains the recognisable body and not the undemocratic executive installed by the Niger State FA.”

    In a related development, the NCA took a swipe at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for owing Super Eagles chief coach, Stephen Keshi, seven months’ salaries.

    “We find this development very ridiculous. This is a man that has repositioned the national team, yet the NFF can’t pay him. If countries like Togo and Mali didn’t owe Keshi, how could Nigeria, which boasts of sponsors for the national team? We even know that one of the sponsors undertook the task of paying Keshi’s salary and we ask; has the sponsor reneged or the NFF are deliberately withholding the payment?” the NCA statement said.

  • Coach urges NTF on regular tournaments, workshops

    Mohammed Ubale, a National Junior Coach, on Thursday reminded the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) on the need for regular championships for players and workshops and seminars for coaches and referees.

    Ubale told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the growth and popularity of the sport in the country were tied to the improved technical competence of the players and the officials.

    “Tennis needs to be given more attention– more than ever before. Organising regular tournament for players and ensuring regular training for the officials are very important aspects for the growth of the game.

    “Regular competition, seminars and workshops within and outside the country have the potential of transforming the sport as the players, coaches and referees will be well-grounded in the modern rules of the game. We expect, as soon as possible, competitions, workshops and seminars for players, referees and coaches to empower them for tennis to move forward,’’ he said.

    Ubale noted that certain rules of the sport had kept changing, and that regular competitions and seminars would help to update the knowledge of young and old players, coaches and referees. He added that the federation should also ensure regular grassroots competitions to assist the federation in discovering and building budding talents for replacements.

    According to Ubale, the country’s recent failure to participate in many continental and intercontinental meets due to poor funding, has adversely affected the growth of the game.

  • Federation Cup exit: Rangers’ coaches summoned

    Federation Cup exit: Rangers’ coaches summoned

    Irked by the lacklustre performance of the club’s players during their 1-2 loss to Akwa United in the quarter final of the Federation Cup, the Management of Enugu Rangers has summoned the technical crew.

    The meeting, SportingLife learnt, will take place immediately the club returns to the Coal City and the coaches will be asked to explain why the players couldn’t lift their game against a supposed lightweight, Akwa United.

    The General Manager of Rangers, Paul Chibuzor Ozor, told SportingLife that among other things, the coaches would also have to explain the Flying Antelopes’ decision not to have warm up sessions at the Owerri Stadium when they knew it’s natural turf was completely different from the synthetic pitch the players were familiar with.

    “I am not happy with the way we played today (Wednesday) at all. My players played as if there was nothing at stake.

    “You could see from the way Akwa United players approached the game that they were hungry for success.

    “We are going to invite the coaches to come and explain what went wrong during the match and why the players played the game with less passion.

    “They must also explain why they failed to train at all at the match venues before the day of the match despite arriving Owerri on time on Tuesday.

    “We play on a synthetic pitch back home and since the Owerri Stadium is a natural turf, coaches should know they ought to train there before match day.

    “We lost a chance to win a title through the Federation Cup and we must do a holistic approach of the reason why we lost to put a halt to this unimpressive outing,” an angry Ozor told SportingLife.

    He nonetheless stated that the club would not dwell too much on the loss so that it wouldn’t derail their other set objectives including winning the Globacom Premier League.

  • Selection of players, coaches’ prerogative, say coaches

    Selection of players, coaches’ prerogative, say coaches

    Football coaches have vehemently criticised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF’s) stance on selection of players, saying it was the prerogative right of a coach to select players for his or her team.

    The coaches in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos said it was also the absolute discretion of a coach to select players for camping.

    The coaches were reacting to a statement made by the NFF that selection of players to the Super Eagles may henceforth cease to be the autonomy of the coach.

    The statement, attributed to the NFF’s President, Aminu Maigari, said that the public may also have an influence in players’ selection.

    Tunde Disu, a former Flying Eagles Coach said in a telephone interview that interference in selection of players by coaches was not practiced anywhere in the world.

    Disu said that it was the technical committee of the federation that has the right to ascertain the quality of players selected by a coach but not the federation making the choice for a coach.

    “The technical committee has no right to remove any player since it lies on the shoulders of the coach to deliver with his players. It is not done anywhere in the world where football has developed for either the technical committee or the governing body to select players for a coach. The coach and his technical bench are the major arms involved in players’ selection that is why about 30 to 35 players are invited.

    “Inviting about 35 players was to select the best and later prune down the players to the required number of players required for any tournament,” he said.

    Paul Hamilton, a former Super Eagles Coach, said that it was an unfortunate statement, saying he believed it was an oversight on the federation to make such a statement.

    The former coach said that the responsibility of the coach and technical crew to select players of their choices was sacrosanct to the coach alone because success or failure of the team lies on his or her shoulders.

    “The failure or success is blamed on a coach so he or she should be given the free will to choose players of his or her choice,” Hamilton said.

    Henry Nwosu, a former Golden Eaglets Coach, said that if such was allowed it would provide room for bias and politics to influence the team’s list.

    Nwosu said that the idea should not be encouraged because it would only slow the development of football in the country.

    “Why it should not be encouraged is because every coach has a formation in mind and players that he or she will use for such formations. And choosing players for the coach will not enable him achieve such formations,” he said.

    Joe Erico, a former Super Eagles Goalkeeper-trainer said that the selection of players into any team should lie solely on the coach.

    “It is not right, it is the coaches’ decisions that matter in players’ selection. There is no where that such is been practiced because the coach knows what he wants to achieve and who he wants to use to achieve it. However, if the NFA thinks that is the way forward and the coaches involved abide to it, then so be it,” Erico said.

    NAN, however, reports that Maigari has since denied the statement, saying he was misquoted.

  • Enough of foreign coaches for Eagles, says Akpoborie

    Enough of foreign coaches for Eagles, says Akpoborie

    Jonathan Akpoborie, an ex-international, has advised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to build on Coach Stephen Keshi’s success at the Africa Nations Cup and end employment of foreign coaches for Super Eagles.

    The Super Eagles on Sunday beat the Stallions of Bukina Faso 1-0 to win the Africa Cup Nations for the third time.

    Akpoborie, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, Delta, said the performance of the Eagles at the South Africa tournament showed that indigenous coaches could excel.

    “Keshi has proved that a Nigerian coach can handle our national team. From the day he started the job and gave opportunity to players in our local league, it was obvious that he knew what he wanted to achieve with the team.

    “He put premium on our local players and he has proved that we can build our national team around them,” he said.

    Akpoborie advised the country’s football administrators to look inwards and develop the local league, saying that Keshi had proved that “there are good players there to be developed”.

    He said the new national team put together by Keshi “has character and discipline’’ and that he was confident that it would qualify the country for the next World Cup.

    The ex-international said Keshi should be given the latitude to raise the team the way he desired, and called for support from the government, NFF and corporate organisations to enable him solidify his programmes and position.

    He stressed the need for the development of a strong U-17 team that would serve as a pool for the Super Eagles, and urged the NFF to give it attention.

  • N48M DEBT ‘NFF Not Owing Eagles’ Coaches

    N48M DEBT ‘NFF Not Owing Eagles’ Coaches

    THE Nigeria Football Federation on Monday slammed newspaper reports alleging that the nation’s football-governing body is owing coaches of the Super Eagles the sum of N48 million.

    Speaking in Abuja, Chairman of the NFF Finance Committee, Dr. Shehu Adamu said the reports were not only in bad taste, but calculated to put the Federation in poor light and cause unnecessary tension in the National Team’s camp.

    “The reports of NFF owing Eagles’ coaches the sum of N48 million is not only incorrect, it is mischievous. Today is the seventh day of the month; even if you add up this new month that we are yet to get one quarter of the way, the amount we are owing them is not up to N48 million.

    “It is sad that at this time that all fair-minded and noble football stakeholders are supposed to be working together with the Federation and the team to see that we do the country proud at the Cup of Nations in South Africa, some persons are bent on creating undue anxiety through false reporting.”

    Also in Abuja, NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu dismissed insinuations that there is anxiety in the Super Eagles’ camp as a result of the simulated debt.

    “It is unfair for people to go to town with these untrue statements at a critical time like this. There is absolutely no tension in Faro; everyone is fine and the coaches and players are looking forward to bringing glory to Nigeria in South Africa.

    “Why have people not asked questions on how the NFF was able to raise money to finance the team’s camping in Abuja, take the team to Faro and arrange for friendly matches? Instead, people are coming with diversionary falsehood.”

    Amadu also lampooned reports that Chairman of the NFF Technical Committee, Barrister Chris Green has been at loggerheads with the Super Eagles’ technical crew over selection of players.

    “This is another falsehood. Barrister Green has a very cordial relationship with the Head Coach and other members of the technical crew. They have respect for him and he also respects them. There has

    never been any disagreement between them because Barrister Green is a gentleman and does not impose himself unnecessarily.

    “Barrister Green is a very hard-working and diligent person and is not in the business of over-reaching his territory. I want to charge our good friends in the media to be positive and supportive at this very crucial time, and work towards the same positive goal with the Federation, the players, the coaches and all those involved in Nigeria’s imminent campaign in South Africa,” Amadu concluded.

  • CAN U-17 QUALIFIER Obuh warns Eaglets coaches on Mali threat

    CAN U-17 QUALIFIER Obuh warns Eaglets coaches on Mali threat

    NIGERIA’S Under-20 coach John Obuh has warned his U-17 colleague Manu Garba not to underrate their Malian opponents when they clash in today’s Africa Junior Championship final round qualifier saying the game will be the team’s real test in their quest for the ticket to Morocco 2013.

    The Golden Eaglets have been receiving lots of commendations for their performance so far in the qualifier and Obuh said the coach must ensured that the team is not carried away by their achievement so far.

    “They really have to be at their best; they have to work for it (getting a win). They should not be overconfidence and they should not also try to play to what people expect.

    “He (coach) should approach the tactics that he knows will work out for the team because if he tries to please the people and anything goes wrong, he will be the one to blame, ” said Obuh who led the team to the final of the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup on home soil.

    The team posted a 10-1 win over Niger in their .while they also recorded a 7-0 win over Guinea in their last match to set up today’s encounter with their fellow West Africans.