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Tag: Oliseh

  • Oliseh to ring closing bell

    Oliseh to ring closing bell

    The new Nigeria coach is set to close the stock market in two weeks as part of plans to position the senior national team as a veritable brand worth investing in

    All things being equal, Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh will ring the closing bell of the Nigeria Stock Exchange in Lagos on Monday, August 17 during a special visit targetted at taking the Super Eagles brand to corporate organizations, Goal can exclusively  confirm.

    As part of plans of the Amaju Pinnick-led Nigeria Football Federation, Oliseh would be guest of honour at the NSE in Marina in order to reach out to corporate Nigeria and share the new vision of repositioning the country’s football.

    The NSE is a privately held company that made 4billion Naira operating profit in 2014.

    A source in the Glass House told Goal that the NFF leadership hopes to place the Super Eagles as a veritable brand which corporate organizations cannot afford to overlook.

    “Pinnick’s recent travels have been in order to meet with investors who are keen on partnering the NFF and the Super Eagles,” the NFF official said.

    “The first major move to show that the NFF is being accepted into the right circles would be Oliseh ringing the closing bell at the NSE. It has never been done before by a Nigerian sports personality and it would position the NFF as a brand to be taken seriously.”

    Goal confirmed from an official at the Stock Market that Oliseh’s visit would help the NFF to explore ways in which to fund many of its programmes.

    “There’s money in football,” said the NSE staff, “and the Nigerian capital market is one opportunity for [the NFF] to raise capital when they need money.

    “It is the first time we are having a sports person ring the closing bell of the NSE even though the victorious Golden Eaglets of 1985, who won the U16 World Cup in China, visited the stock exchange but they did not ring the bell,” he said.

    Pinnick’s recent trip to London, Goal also learned, was to meet an influential businessman who requested to have a personal meeting with the new coach. The businessman was said to have been impressed by Oliseh’s presentation and general carriage.

    With the NFF needing to pay huge salaries of coaching staff as well as upcoming engagements which include qualification matches for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, 2016 African Nations Championship and the 2018 World Cup all coming up in the next three months, the federation is keen to speak to investors who will help ease its financial burdens.

    The senior women national team and the U23 men’s team would also travel to Congo for the All African Games next month, the official indicated that it was the reason for trying to reach out to the corporate world in order to ensure they invest in the country’s football.

    According to figures stated by League Management Company boss Shehu Dikko recently, Nigerian brands spend at least 150billion Naira on corporate communications annually.

    Hence, there is need for Nigerian national football teams and domestic clubs to position themselves in order to get a share of the big money.

  • Oliseh gets home based list for Tanzania, Burkina Faso

    Oliseh gets home based list for Tanzania, Burkina Faso

    Super Eagles assistant coach, Salisu Yusuf, who is in charge of scouting the home based players for the team has already submitted a list of possible invitees to head coach Sunday Oliseh, which includes several ‘new faces’, News24 has been told.

    It remains unclear the number of home based players that will be called to camp, but News24 understands there will be major changes to the group that was usually called by former coach, Stephen Keshi, with some of his favoured players dropped.

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria will officially commence camping on August 17 ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and 2016 CHAN qualifiers in September and October respectively, and the first group of players to arrive will be the home based, with new coach Sunday Oliseh expected to announce his first Super Eagles list in the coming days.

    The players will commence training for the first time under Oliseh from the 17th, but will be allowed to honour league games for their respective clubs and will be in camp until when the overseas based players will be invited to camp.

  • Oliseh returns next week for AFCON qualifier

    Oliseh returns next week for AFCON qualifier

    Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, will return to the country next week, in preparation for September’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Tanzania in Dar es Salaam.

    Oliseh, alongside his assistant Jean Francois Loscuito, met the quartet of John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, Brown Ideye and Victor Anichebe in London as he kick-started his reign as coach of the three-time African champions, Goal reports.

    “Very constructive meeting with Chelsea and Super Eagles’ Victor Moses. The team building continues,” Goal quoted the ex-Juventus midfielder as saying on his Twitter handle after Sunday’s game where Chelsea lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield game at Wembley Stadium.

    He also stated that the clash against Tanzania is very crucial as he targets a win in his first game against the Taifa Stars.

    “The match in Dar es Salaam is very, very crucial, not only because it will be my first match as Head Coach, but also because we have no choice other than to win. The three points are important for us to keep up the tempo in our group,” he told the NFF’s website.

    “We are on the same three points with Egypt, though they have scored a goal more. That is why we cannot afford any slip along the way.

    “We will deal first with the match in Tanzania, and then we will start thinking about the CHAN qualifiers with Burkina Faso in October, and then the FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture in November.

    “There is a lot of work. After these matches, we will now start working towards the two AFCON qualifying matches we have with the Pharaohs in March next year.”

     

  • Oliseh: Don’t expect miracles

    Oliseh: Don’t expect miracles

    The famous name of Sunday Oliseh has long been mentioned in connection with the Nigeria national team coaching position, and the former Super Eagles star is now in the hot seat just as the Super Eagles are about to begin their quest to not only reach – but make their mark – on the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. “For some years now, there have been offers and discussions about me taking over. It has been on the table, but it has not yet happened because the timing was off,” Oliseh told FIFA.com.

    The 40-year-old admitted that even though he finally felt ready for the job, he hesitated to accept the challenging offer. “To coach Nigeria is not the easiest job in the world and one is only as good as the players. Nigeria at the moment has a lot of potential, but we don’t have a lot of confirmed players in the top clubs in the top leagues, so taking over the national team now means we have to remake the whole team and introduce a new philosophy of playing style, of culture and mentality. That is very difficult to do when you are the national team coach because you have very limited time with the players unlike when you coach a club. So that is why I was very hesitant.”

    Oliseh, who played for a number of well-known clubs in Europe including UEFA Champions League winners Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, said that from the moment he started negotiating with Nigerian officials he felt wanted by football fans. “When I came into Nigeria to have talks, I came out of the airport and I knew there was no going back because all the way from the airport, my countrymen were saying: ‘You have to take the job, you have to take the job.’ So I did.”

    Famous World Cup name

    Whenever the World Cup is discussed in Nigeria, Oliseh’s name is one of the first to be mentioned. The midfielder scored what is arguably the side’s best goal at the Mundial. His long-range wonder-goal gave the Super Eagles a 3-2 victory over Spain and saw them qualify for the knock-out stages as group winners at France 98. Oliseh will now go into his third World Cup campaign, but his first as a coach. The Super Eagles will face the winners of the first round match between Djibouti and Swaziland for a place in the group phase and Oliseh says he is confident they will take the first hurdle but that the road to Russia will be tough. “It is going to be very, very difficult, but I believe we can qualify. All we have to do is look at ourselves, try to improve our game and hopefully we will qualify.”

    Oliseh has had little previous coaching experience, being in charge of a Belgian third division club. “I don’t think that is a drawback though,” he states. “Time will tell, but I took the job to be successful.” And he says that he is confident his players can benefit from his World Cup experience, adding: “But first we have to qualify.”

    To do that, Oliseh will be looking at combining local with overseas-based players. Surprisingly the coach has publicly stated that he will consider only players who are playing in the first division for the national team – youth players being the only exception. “Our ambition is to get the best to play for Nigeria, and football is getting faster these days and it keeps getting faster and faster. The tempo is different now, and we can see in the first division of most nations that is where the tempo is.”

    The coach, who has signed a three-year contract and will continue to live in Belgium but travel to Nigeria as often as is necessary, reiterated that he was embarking on a difficult path. “We are practically starting from scratch, so that is why I am saying that people should not expect miracles from us.”

    Whether come 2018 Nigerian fans speak as glowingly of Sunday Oliseh the coach as the goalscorer against Spain in 1998 – only history can say. These are his expectations: “We all have dreams, and I am hoping I will be as successful as I can be. But one has to be realistic also. We have just started, and our first step is to hopefully just win the [AFCON qualifier] against Tanzania. That is what I am praying for. Game by game.”

  • SELECTION reversal: Oliseh denies u-turn

    SELECTION reversal: Oliseh denies u-turn

    Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has denied the report of him making a U-turn on the caliber of players that will feature for the Super Eagles in subsequent matches.

    Oliseh, on the day of his unveiling as the new coach of Super Eagles, announced that only players in top division clubs of credible leagues will henceforth be invited to the team’s camp.

    However, there were reports on Tuesday that the Nigeria coach had made a dramatic U-turn on such decision, but the former Super Eagles captain has denied the report.

    “Only 1st Division players are eligible to play for the Super Eagles. Only exceptions -U-23,U-20 players and goalkeepers! No U-turn as some claim!” Oliseh declared on his twitter handle on Wednesday.

    “The best players in the first division are used to a certain tempo and competition standard, and we need this tempo for the Super Eagles, that is why we made such decision.”

    Oliseh is expected to announce his first group of invited players – all home based – in the first week of August ahead of the CHAN qualifiers against Burkina Faso, and a week later, a list of overseas based players for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania.

  • Emenike’s new status gives Oliseh headache

    Emenike’s new status gives Oliseh headache

    New Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh’s first major selection dilemma would be whether or not to invite striker Emmanuel Emenike for an AFCON qualifier in Tanzania in September, AfricanFootball.com has again exclusively been informed.

    Oliseh is a long-term admirer of Emenike, but the striker’s recent switch to the backwater league in Dubai on loan from Fenerbache may now go contrary to his recent declaration that he will only pick players from credible leagues for his new Eagles.

    AfricanFootball.com scooped that Emenike is on Oliseh’s provisional list of foreign-based stars for the match against Tanzania.

    In 2013, Oliseh was a pundit for pay television station SuperSport when Nigeria against all odds won a third AFCON crown courtesy of goals by Emenike.

    “Oliseh is a big fan of Emenike and has not wasted any time in picking the striker for the AFCON qualifier in Tanzania, but he will most certainly be grilled by the media if he goes ahead and invites the striker who will in the new season play in the UAE, which is not by any definition ‘a credible league’,” said a top source.

    However, another top official has already jumped in defence of the new Eagles coach, saying he will be on track to call up Emenike because his declaration excluded players who have already established themselves in the national team as well as players from the age-group teams.

    “Oliseh when he made his declaration of his yardsticks for selection, he also made a caveat to exclude players who have already established themselves in the Eagles as well as those who are in the various junior national teams.

    “That should cover a player like Emenike, who has done so much for Nigeria within a short time.”

    Oliseh will announce his list of foreign-based players for the Tanzania trip by the third week of August.

  • Oliseh faces selection dilemma over Emenike

    Oliseh faces selection dilemma over Emenike

    Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh’s first major selection dilemma would be whether or not to invite striker Emmanuel Emenike for an African Nations Cup qualifier in Tanzania in September, africanFootball.com reports.

    Oliseh is a long-term admirer of Emenike, but the striker’s recent switch to the United Arab Emirate on loan from Fenerbache may now go contrary to his recent declaration that he will only pick players from credible leagues for his new Eagles.

    The report says Emenike is on Oliseh’s provisional list of foreign-based stars for the match against Tanzania.

    Oliseh was a pundit for pay television station SuperSport when Nigeria against all odds won a third AFCON crown in 2013 courtesy of Emenike’s goals.

    “Oliseh is a big fan of Emenike and has not wasted any time in picking the striker for the AFCON qualifier in Tanzania, but he will most certainly be grilled by the media if he goes ahead and invites the striker who will in the new season play in the UAE, which is not by any definition ‘a credible league,” a top source told africanFootball.com.

    However, another top official has already jumped in defence of the new Eagles coach, saying he will be on track to call up Emenike because his declaration excluded players who have already established themselves in the national team as well as players from the age-group teams.

    “Oliseh when he made his declaration of his yardsticks for selection, he also made a caveat to exclude players who have already established themselves in the Eagles as well as those who are in the various junior national teams.

    “That should cover a player like Emenike, who has done so much for Nigeria within a short time.”

    Oliseh will announce his list of foreign-based players for the Tanzania trip by the third week of August.

  • NFF to pay N5m house rent for Oliseh

    NFF to pay N5m house rent for Oliseh

    New Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has located a house in highbrow Maitama, Abuja, and the NFF are set to pay the annual rent of five million Naira.
    A top source told AfricanFootball.com: “Oliseh has already seen his house in Abuja. It’s in Maitama and the rent is five million Naira a year, which the NFF are now preparing to pay for.”
    Oliseh’s assistants are also to be housed in Abuja as they begin the onerous task of rebuilding the Super Eagles.
    Oliseh’s predecessor Stephen Keshi stayed in hotels in Abuja when he was in charge of the Eagles.
    In the meantime, Oliseh is currently in Europe tracking Nigerian players with the view to considering them for his new team. The Eagles coach is expected to return to Nigeria later next month to continue preparations for the 2017 AFCON qualifier in Tanzania in September.
    However, Oliseh has revealed that his first ever team list as Nigeria coach will be announced in the first week of August, and that will be a list of home -based players for the CHAN qualifiers in October.
    The 40-year old has also said the highly anticipated list of invited players for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania will be announced in the middle of August.
    “Our list of invited players for the CHAN team will be out in the first week of August, while that of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania should be out by mid-August,” Oliseh was quoted on the NFF website.
    The former Nigeria captain has also admitted that he has to hit the ground running, with the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup starting early next year.
    “We have to cover all grounds and be adequately prepared for all the competitions we are involved in whether it is CHAN, AFCON or World Cup qualifiers.
    Oliseh, who was appointed just two weeks ago as Stephen Keshi’s replacement, also said he and first assistant Jean Francois Losciuto are presently in Europe scouting for players while second assistant, Salisu Yusuf and goalkeepers trainer, Alloy Agu are scouting the home front for players.
    “Jean Francois (first assistant) and I have been busy combing and tracking players in Europe while Salisu Yusuf has been doing same with our home based stars.
    “Alloy Agu, who is still involved with the U-23 Team will join him once they conclude their qualifiers against Congo,” Oliseh stressed further.

  • Oliseh has landed

    Oliseh has landed

    But then, how does he make the Super Eagles to soar again?     

    Sunday Oliseh, the new Super Eagles chief coach, landed the other day, shooting from the hips.

    Never again, he thundered, would Nigeria under him, be a rehabilitation camp. Whoever wasn’t playing, week in, week out, in the elite leagues of his base, should kiss Eagles bye-bye!

    But the roaring cheers had hardly died down when Oliseh probably realised he just jumped into the philosophical waters of the Greek, Heraclitus, who proclaimed you could not step in the same river twice — such was the flux of life!

    Does Nigeria, despite its famed foreign legion, have enough quality players to make Oliseh’s cut? Are these parlous times not different from Oliseh’s glory days as player, with the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George, Austine Jay-Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi and Samson Siasia, painting their host leagues with goals and dazzling the world with silky skills?

    Times certainly have changed. Oliseh, realising he may have aimed too high, entered a caveat: fading stars, but who can still deliver at the highest level, would still be given fair time to prove themselves — fair enough.

    But Oliseh’s virtual recant just underscores the tough Nigeria job — and the need to tread gingerly. Nigerians believe, rather misguidedly, they are the best in world football — and at all times. So, God save that coach who tries to mouth “excuses” — even if the “excuses” are clear facts: that, right now, the best of Nigerian players are only average by global standards.

    That is why he will do well to moderate expectation, though in truth he said he would try his best even if he was no messiah; and communicate the grimness of the present situation, even if he would not helplessly tweak his fingers.

    Fortunately, he is coming to the job with good credentials. He has a UEFA coaching licence; and is regarded as a sound soccer technocrat, in the FIFA Technical Committee, of which he is a member. He is regarded no less in UEFA circles — and UEFA is global football’s epicentre.

    The only dark spot is lack of coaching experience. On this score, the signals are mixed on his putative success or failure. Segun Odegbami and Adokiye Amiesimaka, perhaps the most brilliant minds in their generation of national team players, are upbeat Oliseh is the best man for the job right now. But both Clemence Westerhoff and Johannes Bonfrere, Oliseh’s Dutch coaches when he won the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 1994 and Olympics Football gold medal in 1996, demur. Both insist Oliseh is not good enough for the national team because he lacks experience. So, Oliseh is condemned to proving himself.

    But to do that, he must shun distractions. Already, there is misinformation that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has allowed the coach to do his job from Europe. That is not true. He only got permission to go scour Europe and monitor his players for the September 4 AFCON clash away to Tanzania.

    Just as well it is not true, for if it were, it would have jeopardised Oliseh’s ability to also scour the Nigerian local league for fresh and hungry talents. Therefore, both NFF and Oliseh must manage the information they push out; lest needless controversies ensue. Controversies, of course, cause distractions — and to succeed, distractions are what Oliseh does not need.

    Then, Oliseh’s fiery temper — has he tempered it as a coach? The Nigeria football management waters appear shark-prone. But Oliseh has a reputation for not suffering fools gladly. Has NFF cleaned up its acts? And worst-case scenario, is Oliseh primed?

    Recall: that peculiar Nigerian terrain, for alleged indiscipline, ousted him, as Nigeria captain, Amodu Shaibu as chief coach and Stephen Keshi as assistant coach, from Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup, even after the team had qualified! Ironically, the threesome are involved in this transition: Amodu as NFF technical director, Keshi as sacked coach and Oliseh as new coach!

    From all clinical analysis, Oliseh’s success at his new job is not at all assured. Still, we hope his coming will herald a new dawn for Nigerian football.

  • Oliseh sticks to old brigade

    Oliseh sticks to old brigade

    •Enyeama leads the pack
    •Won’t make many changes

    Super Eagles captain Vincent Enyeama is expected to lead several established Eagles stars to Tanzania for AFCON 2017 qualifier against the Taifa Stars, AfricanFootball.com has been informed.

    Oliseh is expected to release his list of invited players for the game against Tanzania in the second week of August with the foreign-based professionals expected to join the team in Tanzania.

    Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi is ruled out of the encounter after his dismissal against Chad last month, but there will be a return for Enyeama, Mikel Obi and Victor Moses.

    Eagles skipper Enyeama, whose differences with the NFF over his comments after the game against Chad have been sorted out, has been tipped as a key player in the plans of new coach Sunday Oliseh.

    “From the way Oliseh spoke about Enyeama in our meetings, it tells you that the coach wants him to play a huge role in his team building for the Eagles,” a top source disclosed.

    “He said the experience of Enyeama is needed by the team but he also highlighted on the need to install discipline in the team.”

    The top sources also revealed: “We may not be seeing too many new faces in the Eagles from the start, but I think what Oliseh wants to do is change the mentality of the team because he believes the Eagles can win every match.”