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Tag: foreign coach

  • Foreign coach for Falcons soon- NFF

    Foreign coach for Falcons soon- NFF

    NFF President Amaju Pinnick has promised that the issue of a foreign coach for the Super Falcons would be sorted out in a matter of days.

    Speaking in Abuja, the former Delta State FA Chairman said: “We are most concerned about the appointment of a coach for the Senior Women National Team. We have gotten a sponsor who would bankroll the salaries of the coach for the next two years.

    “We have signed the Memoradum of Understanding (MoU), what is outstanding now is for the coach to resume. The company has pleaded with us to give them few days to tidy up things from their end. As soon as that is done, the coach would resume, and we would start our rebuilding process in earnest”.

    Pinnick said he is optimistic that the Falconnets would scale through the hurdles in South Africa.

    “It is not that our girls did not play well here in Abuja, the problem was that they could not convert most of their chances. But, I am very sure that it would be a different ball game when they get to South Africa. We would beat them there to qualify,” he said emphatically.

  • NFF confirms foreign coach for Falcons

    NFF confirms foreign coach for Falcons

    •Not bothered about nationality or gender

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed they are considering employing an expatriate as the substantive coach for the national senior women’s team, the Super Falcons.

    Speaking to News24, General Secretary of the NFF, Sanusi Mohammed admitted they are yet to decide on who will be the next Super Falcons coach, but says they are considering the most qualified candidates irrespective of gender or nationality.

    “The technical committee are looking at the options we have,” he told News24, “We are considering the most qualified candidates. We are really not concerned with the gender or nationality of the next coach, it can be a foreigner and can also be a Nigeria. It can be a man and it can also be a woman, the most important thing is to get the most suitable person that we believe can deliver the results for us.

    “So when the technical committee are done with their screening, we will employ the most suitable,” Sanusi stated.

    The Nigeria Football Federation had on Monday, announced their decision not to renew the contract of Edwin Okon as coach of the team, with his assistant, Christopher Danjuma taking over temporarily.

    Danjuma, who is coach of the Nasarawa Amazons, will lead the Falcons to this month’s 2016 Olympic Games qualifier against Equatorial Guinea in Port-Harcourt.

  • Maigari: Insult on NFF unfair

    Maigari: Insult on NFF unfair

    • Insists Glass House never thought of foreign coach

    President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Aminu Maigari is livid with the reports going on that the NFF is planning to impose a foreign assistant on Super Eagles head coach, Stephen Keshi.

    It has been widely disseminated that the football federation had met with the current African Coach of the Year recently and proposed a foreign assistant to the Nigerian gaffer which he turned down.

    But Keshi is said to have revealed that he is unaware about the news making waves that the NFF want to impose a foreign assistant on him.

    “The NFF president, Maigari has never agreed for any assistant to be added to my coaching team at all, so I am not sure who invents these stories and what their aims are.

    “ I said I wanted Sylvanus Okpala back as my assistant and Andyson Ogugua my video analyst (these two were part of the back room staff that won the AFCON in South Africa last year) but I have not been given an answer on if or when I can have them back,” a published report cites.

    Maigari however said that none of his members had suggested, recommended or even tried to impose the idea of a foreign technical assistant on Keshi.

    “Some people with fertile imagination invented this and sold it to the media and they took it up without proper investigation.

    “It is a shame because the NFF had made it clear long ago that it would not impose anyone on Keshi, and that still stands henceforth.

    “What pained me most is that we NFF people have been insulted for this speculation that we know nothing about,” Maigari said angrily.

    Asked whether Keshi’s former assistant, Okpala who was sacked after the 2013 Nations Cup, would be called back to the Super Eagles, Maigari said: “We would settle that as soon as possible.”

    Maigari also revealed that the present football administration would continue to support Keshi and his wards for them to make a good impact at this year’s showpiece in Brazil.

    “I have said this many times that the football house will continue to support Keshi and the team for them to succeed at the World Cup,” he said.

  • Foreign Coach for Eagles: It’s a big lie, says NFF

    Foreign Coach for Eagles: It’s a big lie, says NFF

    The leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has voiced it loud and clear that they have no plans to hire a foreign coach for the Super Eagles as it was being rumoured in some quarters.

    The Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation Media Committee who is also a Board member of the federation, Emeka Inyama on Tuesday said on NTA that whoever is carrying the rumour should put a stop to it.

    The issue of hiring a foreign coach was more in the news shortly after the Eagles managed to win the bronze medal of the last Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa. But the NFF chieftain has come out publicly to rubbish the claims.

    “This is not the first time we have been hearing this (that the NFF wants to hire a foreign Coach for the Super Eagles) even after we won the African Nations Cup in South Africa on February last year (2013). It was everywhere that the NFF wanted to bring a foreign Technical Adviser to the team even at the middle of the AFCON 2013 in South Africa then.

    “I have discussed with the President of the Nigeria Football Federation and I want to speak officially on this matter also that there is no truth in the rumour, there is no truth in the speculations, there is no truth in the comments going all over. Keshi is in charge and there is no contemplation to employ a foreign Technical Adviser for the team.

    “Honestly speaking, I don’t know anything about any body language to hire a foreign coach for the team; the truth is that there is no contemplation to employ a foreign Technical Adviser for Stephen Keshi of Nigeria for the World Cup and that is official”, he stated clearly.

    Inyama also made it clear that the Federation would give full support as usual to Keshi to be able to lead the team to an impressive campaign in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil come June.

    “We will give Keshi all the support as Nigeria Football Federation to ensure that the best legs are the ones that would take us to the World Cup in Brazil this year. Nigeria has always been a team that adds colour to any international competitions like we did at the 1994 World Cup in USA, The Atlanta 1996 Olympics and the Saudi ’89 U- 20 World Cup and so on. This time around we want to add a positive colour to the Brazil 2014 World Cup. The Nigeria Football Federation will continue to give Keshi the enabling environment to do his job”, he promised.

  • Foreign coach; NFF yet to decide

    Foreign coach; NFF yet to decide

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has moved to clarify the situation of Super Eagles head coach, Stephen Keshi.

    Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi last week announced that a “foreign technical assistant” will be drafted in to the Super Eagles backroom staff if Keshi makes such a request.

    The NFF has revealed that no decision has been reached in that regard as the federation is still in the process of appraising the performance of all the coaches under its employ.

    “The minister has been like a father. He means well and I am sure his words are aimed at improving our national team even more. What he said was advisory and we are full of gratitude to him,” NFF’s technical committee chairman, Chris Green exclusively told supersport.com.

    Green also revealed that the technical committee of the NFF would meet soon to reach a definite conclusion on the matter.

    “The technical committee has as one of its responsibilities to suggest or to make policies and fashion out plans for the World Cup.

    “The committee will meet soon to thrash out all such matters.

    “Right now, we are still appraising what has been done so far and we are yet to come to any conclusion as to whether the team needs an assistant or not.

    “However, all the coaches we have appointed for all our national teams have done very well in their various roles.

    “However, we are always looking to improve and get to the very best level so as to favourably challenge the very best in the world,” he said.

    NFF president, Aminu Maigari also discussed the issue with supersport.com.

    “I am impressed with Keshi and all the national team coaches but I cannot make unilateral decisions.

    “The technical committee of the federation will meet and recommendations will then be ratified by the executive committee,” he said.