The Nation Newspaper

Tag: onigbinde

  • NNL Super 8: Onigbinde carpets midfielders on poor second half’s  performance

    NNL Super 8: Onigbinde carpets midfielders on poor second half’s  performance

    Head coach of Doma United, Akinade Onigbinde , has admitted that his boys’ concession of the midfield battle to Yobe Desert Stars was the major reason they were beaten in their second game of the ongoing season ending Nigeria National League Super Eight playoff in Asaba, Delta State.

    The Savannah Scorpions started the game like house on fire and even better first in the 17th minute through John Zauka but they got overwhelmed in the second half and conceded goals in the 59th and 81st minutes through Yakubu Abdullahi and Idris Umar in that order.

    Onigbinde who is on a second stint with Doma United affirmed that his midfielders must wake up against Barau FC in their last game to end the playoff positively.

    Read Also: Pinnick’s CAF appointment will elevate Nigerian football – Presidential aide

    “We lost possession of the midfield in the second half because our midfielders became complacent. They tried their best,” Onigbinde revealed .

    He  said he was pained his boys lost to Yobe Desert Stars after such a fantastic start but reckoned that if the officiating had been consistent throughout the game perhaps his boys would have grabbed at least a draw.

    “It is football. You win some and you lose. From the beginning of the game we came out to play and the boys did very well in the first half and we led that half,” Onigbinde told journalists in Asaba.

    “But in the second half due to officiating because of pressure from the Yobe Desert Stars’ bench they fell for it and it is painful.”

    “If we want football to develop in the country something must be done about officiating. I am not happy about it. If you must win let it be by merit but not with teams putting pressure on the referees.”

  • ONIGBINDE: How I miraculously escaped assassination as a coach

    At 80, Chief Festus Adegboyega Onigbinde has not lost a tiny bit of his whippy tongue. A reporter’s delight any day, the two-time Super Eagles coach shares his upbringing, life lessons, works with NFF, CAF and FIFA and down- to-earth views on the state of the nation. It is vintage ‘Chief’ as he compressed his life journey from a ‘village boy’ to international recognised football instructor and coach into an hour interview with TAIWO ALIMI. Excerpts:    

    How do you feel at 80?

    I feel good. I don’t feel any different. I am blessed with good health and I thank the Almighty for that. I feel good.

    So what is the secret?

    Being a sportsman has helped me. It keeps me fit because there is no way that you can coach others that you would not be involved in it too. But, there is more to it. Scientists have proved that people grow older more from the mind than the other part of the body. If you keep malice, begrudge people, and pay too much attention to negativity; you are poisoning your system. Of course, they will degenerate. That is what I will say is part of the secret of my healthy life.

    I bear no malice. I have no enemy. Most importantly, I say and do what I feel is right. No matter how you feel. That keeps my mind very free and healthy.

    Do you have any fitness regime?

    My life is full movement. How long have I been a sportsman? You won’t believe it if I tell you that, even now, I still coach. And, how can you be coaching without exercises, without keeping fit? It is not possible. Then, I find way to keep fit around the neighbourhood.  I have friends living some kilometres away. Instead of driving, I walk to their places. I also move round my place here. I also give myself some physical activities.

    What about your diet?

    I don’t have any special diet. I am what you call omnivorous. I take anything. I have never had a course to be told to take less salt or sugar. Less than a month ago, I was with my family doctor for check-up. After taking all the vitals, my BP was 100/60, which I consider to be going into hypo level, even more than hyper level. And the reason is that if Sunny Ade brings all his music under my bed, it doesn’t stop me from sleeping. I will sleep. You have to accept one thing, that we are created to create problem and to solve problem. So, no problem can weigh me down. If anybody has any ill-feeling with me, I want it to remain in his head and not transfer it into my own head and that does not stop me from relating pleasantly with him. That is my life.

    This idea, has it always been with you or it was inculcated as you grow older?

    I cannot remember an occasion that when my father or my mother got wild because of some other people’s headache. My father was quiet, intelligent; some of the time when bad things are happening, he even takes his eyes off it. Maybe, another day when that issue comes up, that is when he would refer to the former incidence. It is the same thing for my mother.

    I remember only one occasion when my mother gave me a good beating. That day, we went out and I drank a cup of palmwine that got me tipsy. I did not intentionally take it. Custom demands that as the youngest man in the group, I had to serve the undiluted palmwine, and by custom, when you serve, you have to take the first cup and report back that the wine is good. I took that one cup, and by the time I got back home I was behaving somehow. My mother lured me into her room and gave me some serious beating. And that is why up till now I am a social drinker. That is the only time that I remember that she beat me and that left a lasting impression on me.

    So, it not a new thing, even in my work as a coach I meet all kinds of people. Mind you, before I became a coach, I was a teacher for about 20 years. I taught in the primary, secondary and teacher training, and these institutions you meet with different types of children. Thank God, I went through the systematic teacher training system. I did my grade 3, 2 and 1 and all these things were part of our education in teacher training college. And, that was why a year ago, I sent a paper to the presidency highlighting that the standard of educational, that has fallen, was due to the abolition of teacher training colleges. That indicates that we no longer have professional teachers. Everybody is complaining. Three days ago, I read that 83 per cent failed the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) examinations. How do you explain that? Going through the teacher training also prepared me, in addition to my humble background.

    What is your blueprint for education in Nigeria?

    Well, we have to go back to the old system of training our teachers. Of recent, a state government asked teachers to take Primary Four exams, and we know what happened. Many of them failed. Unfortunately, when the government decided to deal with these teachers, people started protesting, so, where are we going?

    So, when you want to produce quality students, you must first produce quality teachers. You can’t give what you don’t have. People don’t actually appreciate what training a teacher involves. In this same room, we were discussing this issue with some friends and one of them said what is the relevance, once you now the subject, teach it to the pupils, and I told him it is more than that.

    For example, if we are here and some masquerade just appears drumming and dancing outside. What would be the reaction of your people? They would want to see what is happening, and what would be the reaction of the teacher? You push them back, probably beat them because you are not a trained teacher. A professional teacher would now better. He would encourage the pupils to appreciate the music, by taking them out to see them and when they are outside there, they are learning. The way people are dancing and the song they are singing. Some of them would even want to ask questions. Why is this like this, why is that like that? They are learning. That is not all. By the time they get back to their classroom, what would be their attitude? They have satisfied their curiosity and they are ready to listen to you attentively. That is an example of professionalism in teaching. And unless we go back to that or find a way of replicating those teachers, there will be trouble. You can get it right unless you do it right.

    And there is another problem. By the time Nigeria went into private educational institutions, Nigeria was not ready for it. You have people who are running private schools today, just for the money; from the primary up to the university level. And there is no adequate supervision. I remember in those days, two months before an inspector would come, they would have been notified and you would have the management of that school preparing for that visit, and keeping the school clean. But, we don’t have that anymore. Everybody does what he likes. There is no control. So, when you set a standard, there must be a system of monitoring that full compliance is kept.

    I know we have the Nigeria University Commission, but how much do they ensure that our universities keep that standard. We have Ministry of Education, but do they still operate the way they used to. Then, the ministry will supply the syllabus, and they would come occasionally to see how you are conforming to the regulation.

    Today, in Nigeria, even if the inspectors still go round, what will happen? They would be bribed to write favourable report about that school. Sometimes, they don’t even turn up at all once they have been settled. I’m afraid for the future of this country and some of the time I feel like shedding tears for this country. God gives us all the potential to be a great country, but what are we doing about it?

    Take for example, my profession (football coaching), how many thousands of football talents do we have wasting away in the rural areas of this country? But, there is no system to identify them. Not to talk of polishing them. The system is not there.

    In your years of coaching, which one did you enjoy most? Is it as a youth coach, in the clubs or national team?

    I always enjoy more, maybe because I am a trained teacher, working with the young ones.  I enjoy seeing them develop. I love it. And that was why in 1983-1985, the first time I handled the national team, I did not invite any foreign-based player. They were all local players, local boys.

    It has an advantage. These local boys are young and they would be ready to do what you want them to do. In December 1975, we worked with a team and I was trying to correct one player there, and he retorted ‘that is how I have been doing it.’ I want players that are teachable. When I was going to the World Cup, I started preparation at home. At any rate, the old ones who were playing in Mali threatened that they would not report, until they saw the team taking shape that they started reporting in ones and twos, and, eventually, some of them played their dirty games.

    I love watching children develop, which gives me that happiness that I’m doing something great.

    Twenty years as an educationist, something you claimed to love so much. Yet, you dumped it for football?

    Is coaching not teaching? (Laughter) I’m still in the same profession.  Candidly, if you have a flair for developing people, it can be at any level or profession. After teaching for 20 years at primary, secondary and higher institution, what more do I want? And all along while I was teaching, I was also coaching as a game master. So, it is more or less a continuation.

    Apart from your parents whom you always talk about, what are the other things or people that moulded you to becoming who you are today?   The background is very important. Then, if you are lucky to meet the right kind of people, and you are receptive to their ideas, you will develop. The teachers I went through in my primary schools were model teachers, including the headmaster, and I learnt a lot from them.

    Coming into football, in 1958, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was in London with the other political leaders to discuss Nigeria’s independence. And there were some Nigerian sportsmen who were operating in the United Kingdom (UK) and one of them was Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun. He invited him to come back home as a coach in the then Western Region Sports Council. He came back that same year and he was touring the region, which extended to Port Harcourt, Asaba, looking for football talents. He spotted me at Ife and was trying to lure me to Ibadan to come and play. But, that was not possible because I was already a Grade 2 teacher earning about 10 pounds a month. If I came back to play an important match and win, they would probably give me two shillings. What would I have done with that? However, he kept in touch with me and was always inviting me to Ibadan. Then, as God would have it, I did my teacher Grade 2 course in Ibadan at St Luke and that brought us more together, especially in the second and final year when I became the coach and captain of the school football team. I would invite him to come and assist me. That year in 1961, Balogun organised the first real coaching course in Ibadan and made it mandatory for me to attend. I was a student and I thought leaving my studies for three weeks could affect me, but he told me that he saw some qualities in me that would make me a successful coach. He even exaggerated by saying that some of these qualities he didn’t have. That was how I attended my first coaching course in June/July 1961. You will agree with me that was an influence. He gave me the encouragement and the opportunity to start.

    Then, in Yoruba land, there is a saying that ‘egbe buburu ba iwa rere je’ meaning, if you keep bad company, you are likely to be influenced.

    So, if you are careful the kind of friends you keep, you will have some good influences on your life. And that is why the English says: ‘show me your friend, and I will show you who you are.’

    I have said it before that criminality in this country is youth-oriented. People say because there is no job. If there is no job, is killing and robbing people a good alternative? The company you keep matters a lot.

    I like to influence in a positive way too. And that is why even in my profession, I am sometimes ostracised, because they see me as a non-conformist. And I don’t regret it. I smile happily and move on.

    What are your opinions about the new order in both CAF and FIFA?

    Well, I think it is natural for changes to come. People say that the only thing that is constant is change itself. One should expect it to happen. But the problem is, these people taking over, have they been patient enough to learn from the older ones? That is the problem. You want to apply a clean break, starting from zero once again. Is that progressive? I think that is the problem.

    I got information few days ago that one of the programmes that I was involved with at CAF level, a developmental programme geared at grading all African coaches. Before we did it, we went to Europe and got UEFA developmental programme, got that of America, Asia, used that to evolve our own African thing. Right now they are talking about dumping it and going back to the old order simply because it would serve the interest of some individuals. It is unfortunate.

    How much do you enjoy working with FIFA?

    Oh! Wonderful! And the way it came is what actually got me excited. In 1984, I took Nigeria to Cote d’Ivoire Africa Cup of Nations and in spite of problems, I came back with silver. That was the highest Nigeria would achieve playing outside Nigeria. That was the first time a Nigerian coach was taking Nigeria to the Nations Cup. And, I did not have a presidential handshake when I came back.

    Coincidentally, the present president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, was military Head of State, then. I remember that on the day we played the final, somebody just came into the dressing room and said he had a message from the head of state. He wished us well and when I came back the authority did not create an atmosphere to thank him for that. That is why up till now I’m looking forward to when I would come face to face with him, and tell him ‘a belated handshake sir’ (laughter). I need my handshake. I would request for my handshake. My reward thereafter was my removal. Up till now I have not been told why I was removed. If working under that condition which I worked, came back with silver, I thought How do you feel at 80?

    I feel good. I don’t feel any different. I am blessed with good health and I thank the Almighty for that. I feel good.

    So what is the secret?

    Being a sportsman has helped me. It keeps me fit because there is no way that you can coach others that you would not be involved in it too. But, there is more to it. Scientists have proved that people grow older more from the mind than the other part of the body. If you keep malice, begrudge people, and pay too much attention to negativity; you are poisoning your system. Of course, they will degenerate. That is what I will say is part of the secret of my healthy life.

    I bear no malice. I have no enemy. Most importantly, I say and do what I feel is right. No matter how you feel. That keeps my mind very free and healthy.

    Do you have any fitness regime?

    My life is full movement. How long have I been a sportsman? You won’t believe it if I tell you that, even now, I still coach. And, how can you be coaching without exercises, without keeping fit? It is not possible. Then, I find way to keep fit around the neighbourhood.  I have friends living some kilometres away. Instead of driving, I walk to their places. I also move round my place here. I also give myself some physical activities.

    What about your diet?

    I don’t have any special diet. I am what you call omnivorous. I take anything. I have never had a course to be told to take less salt or sugar. Less than a month ago, I was with my family doctor for check-up. After taking all the vitals, my BP was 100/60, which I consider to be going into hypo level, even more than hyper level. And the reason is that if Sunny Ade brings all his music under my bed, it doesn’t stop me from sleeping. I will sleep. You have to accept one thing, that we are created to create problem and to solve problem. So, no problem can weigh me down. If anybody has any ill-feeling with me, I want it to remain in his head and not transfer it into my own head and that does not stop me from relating pleasantly with him. That is my life.

    This idea, has it always been with you or it was inculcated as you grow older?

    I cannot remember an occasion that when my father or my mother got wild because of some other people’s headache. My father was quiet, intelligent; some of the time when bad things are happening, he even takes his eyes off it. Maybe, another day when that issue comes up, that is when he would refer to the former incidence. It is the same thing for my mother.

    I remember only one occasion when my mother gave me a good beating. That day, we went out and I drank a cup of palmwine that got me tipsy. I did not intentionally take it. Custom demands that as the youngest man in the group, I had to serve the undiluted palmwine, and by custom, when you serve, you have to take the first cup and report back that the wine is good. I took that one cup, and by the time I got back home I was behaving somehow. My mother lured me into her room and gave me some serious beating. And that is why up till now I am a social drinker. That is the only time that I remember that she beat me and that left a lasting impression on me.

  • Ex- Super Eagles coach, Onigbinde, seeks to divorce wife

    A former  Super Eagles Coach Chief Akin Onigbinde, has dragged his wife, Abiona, to an  Ibadan Customary Grade C court, seeking divorce.

    Onigbinde claimed his wife is violent and stubborn, pointing out that she was unwilling to live harmoniously and in peace with him. When both appeared in court, the president of the court, Chief Odunade Adewuyi  told the wife the allegations, levelled against her.

    When asked if she wanted the marriage to be dissolved, Mrs. Onigbinde replied in the negative, saying she did not know the reason a divorce suit should be filed against her.

    The court said: “If his prayers are heard by the court, do you think the marriage should not be dissolved? Which steps did you take after your husband complained about these allegations? Does he like your attitude? Let us say you are the husband and your wife says he doesn’t want something, won’t you know?”

    She replied: “He said he doesn’t like it. He said I’m violent, but it is not so. I called the first child and told him about it. Also, I told my child and my husband’s elder brother. Our children went to beg him but he refused.”

    The president and other members of the court, Elder E.A. Ogundipe and Chief Raifu Raji, advised her to maintain peace. The court said it does not give judgment on the first appearance of litigants. It gave them up to September 20, 2017 to find peaceful resolution. The court told Chief Onigbinde that it is possible he forgives his wife and the matter is settled amicably.

     

  • Onigbinde hails Eagles’ win over Zambia

    Onigbinde hails Eagles’ win over Zambia

    Adegboye Onigbinde has hailed the Super Eagles’ 2-1 away win in Ndola against the Chipolopolo of Zambia in the opening fixture of the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers played at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium yesterday.

    The former CAF/FIFA instructor has, however, challenged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to employ the services of other good hands to complement the effort of the Eagles technical crew to ensure that the senior national team gains the automatic berth to Russia from Group B.

    He told SportingLife:” I congratulate Nigerians for this victory. The team played very well and deservedly worked for it but I cannot say much from outside when I am far off from the team. I cannot be doing the work of the technical adviser but nonetheless I want to congratulate the team for braving the odds to get the three points.”

    The Eagles will face  Algeria’s Desert Foxes on November 12 at the Adokie Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt in their next match after claiming the maximum points in Ndola through the goals of Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho in the 31st and 42nd minutes of the first half before the Zambians scored in the 71st minute through Collins Mbesuma.

  • Rangers must sustain their NPFL feat, urges Onigbinde

    Rangers must sustain their NPFL feat, urges Onigbinde

    Former Nigeria coach, Adegboye Onigbinde has urged newly crowned Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions, Enugu Rangers to sustain their new feat.

    The Flying Antelopes ended their 32-years wait for a silverware in style by  walloping El Kanemi Warriors 4-0 in a Week 38 match played at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium on Sunday.

    And the FIFA instructor has challenged them to put in place the best strategies to sustain their dominance.

    “I want to congratulate them [Enugu Rangers] for their effort and great achievement. It takes strong determination, discipline and focus to achieve such success, ” Onigbinde told Goal.

    “I hope they will be regular at achieving this performance again and come back to their permanent position in the league. This can be best achieved through proper planning, programming, coaching and logistics,” he said.

  • NFF should appoint a substantive coach now, says Onigbinde

    NFF should appoint a substantive coach now, says Onigbinde

    Former Super Eagles’ Chief Coach Adegboye Onigbinde has called on the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to appoint a substantive Chief Coach of the Super Eagles with immediate effect to help in Nigeria’s quest to win a ticket for the 2018 World Cup holding in Russia.

    The former Shooting Stars Football Club’s handler and administrator also want the Eagles Coach that would be in charge to ensure the right thing is done through unbiased invitation and selection of players for matches.

    “Algeria, Cameroun and Zambia are undoubtedly very strong forces in African football. But Nigeria is also a strong force too so it depends on our preparations for the qualifying matches. The people that are there should be able to know how to surmount this hurdles.

    “The most important thing the Nigeria Football Federation should do now is to shop for a substantive coach immediately. Also it depends on the training of the Coach that will definitely bring out the best in the players and will also translate to positive results in the matches they would play.

    “So if we don’t have a substantive Coach now then we can’t start any preparation. So they need to quickly look for the Coach they want to appoint for the Super Eagles to enable preparations to start on time for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

    “I have never feared any team in my group during any tournament. The most important thing is to prepare very well for such competition and also invite the best legs for matches based on quality and performance. If we can do this I don’t think Algeria, Cameroun and Zambia can stop us from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia”, the erstwhile CAF and FIFA Instructor declared.

    He also called for going back to the development of the game in Nigeria through developmental programmes. “Are we saying we don’t have good and quality players in Nigeria again? The problem is that instead of scouting we are always busy recycling players. Also are the players invited to the national team based on quality and performance or otherwise? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves before we can start to talk of getting the desired results” Onigbinde told NationSport yesterday.

    The Septuagenarian Coach also advised the would be Chief Coach of the Super Eagles to ensure that the nucleus of the national team should be based on the home based players.

    “The nucleus of any strong national team is made up of home based players. The main problem of our darling Super Eagles is that we can’t get a team to play in any competition until the foreign based players are around”, Onigbinde added.

  • Laloko, Onigbinde grieve over Amodu

    Laloko, Onigbinde grieve over Amodu

    Kashimowo Laloko and Adegboye Onigbinde have expressed sadness and shock over the death of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical director, Shuaibu Amodu.

    Amodu died in his sleep after he complained of pains in the chest on Friday night, and the pair of Laloko and Onigbinde said they spoke to him during the week following the death of former Nigeria captain and coach Stephen Keshi on Wednesday.

    Laloko said Amodu was “knowledgeable in the sport” of football and believed that he still had so much to offer Nigeria.

    “Shuaibu Amodu is dead? I spoke to him two days ago about the death of Keshi. How can this happen? This is too much for Nigeria. He was knowledgeable in the sport and this is someone who has done a lot for football in this country, and would have still done more to develop and improve the game. And he is gone? No, no, no. Something is wrong somewhere,” Laloko said.

    Onigbinde, also a former Super Eagles coach, could not hide his shock at the news. He described Amodu as “one of our best” in football.

    “We talked only two days ago. What is all this? Keshi just left us two days ago. Now Amodu? One of our best men is gone again? No, this is too much to bear. Oh my God,” said Onigbinde.

    Amodu was buried in his hometown in Okpella, Edo State, according to Islamic rites on Saturday.

  • Nigerians deserve Oliseh’s insult – Onigbinde

    Nigerians deserve Oliseh’s insult – Onigbinde

    Former Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, has said Nigerians merited coach Sunday Oliseh’s insults for “begging” him to coach the team despite his inadequacies.

    In two videos released via his Youtube channel on Sunday, Oliseh called those calling for his sack “insane” while making a critical remark about his former teammates who he advised to pick up coaching forms and handle the national team instead of finding loopholes in his work.

    Onigbinde told Goal: “The first issue is about his appointment which he claimed he didn’t beg to secure, in other words, the NFF begged him. And I begin to ask what qualities did the NFF see in him and begged to have him lead the Super Eagles?”

    “I still feel it is a big slap on the country to appoint a Nigerian or a foreigner who has never handled any club or a big team to handle the Super Eagles. That is an insult, and now the insult is now being complicated.

    “Oliseh is now calling his critics insane. I watched the video and at a point was shedding tears for Nigerian football but we deserve it. Since he got this job, he has been going to Europe for treatment, shouldn’t the NFF have verified his health condition before appointing him. Now he has the gut to insult everybody.”

    The former 3SC of Ibadan coach noted that Oliseh was never an intelligent choice for the Super Eagles due to his inexperience and antecedents while in national team.

    “Also talking about his experience, has he not shown inadequacy in this? For instance, see the way he handled [Vincent] Enyeama’s case. If Oliseh was intelligent enough, he could have commiserated with him first on the loss of his mother and Enyeama would have been worshipping him, but he wanted to be a boss.

    “Have Nigerians forgotten that the national team broke down in Mali as a result of gross indiscipline under his leadership and now that is the kind of person NFF feels is good enough for the Super Eagles job.

    “These are the questions we failed to answer before giving him the job and to some extent, he is right in throwing hot water on the faces of those who landed him the job.

    “You can imagine a coach coming out a day to the commencement of the African Nations Championship that his players are not well fed and all that, what kind of result do you expect from that kind of coach?

    “The question now is, will this not affect our chances in future competitions? Now we are causing more confusion and destroying the team further.

    “That is in the hands of those managing Nigeria football. I have made several enemies speaking the truth. The fact is we have administrative problems bedeviling our football,” he concluded.

     

  • Onigbinde loses faith in Oliseh

    Onigbinde loses faith in Oliseh

    Former coach of the Super Eagles, Adegboye Onigbinde has told footballlive.com that the sudden apprehension surrounding current Eagles handler, Sunday Oliseh, ahead of next month’s Africa Nations Cup qualifier against Egypt is expected because the former skipper does not have the requisite experience

    Oliseh had a dismal outing with the Super Eagles B on his maiden international comeptition as national team coach.

    Nigeria won bronze at its debut appearance in the CHAN in 2014, but failed to make it past the group stage in Rwanda.

    There have been rumours of a looming sack or perhaps the NFF drafting senior, experienced technical advisers to work along side the 41-year-old gaffer when the 2017 Afcon qualifiers resume.

    Nigeria faces 7-time Champions, Egypt in a double header in March and even Onigbinde, who won silver at the competition in 1984 holds no hope in the quality of the former Nigeria international.

  • Onigbinde tips Dream Team to pick Olympics ticket

    Onigbinde tips Dream Team to pick Olympics ticket

    Former Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde has thrown his weight behind the Dream Team V1 tutored by Samson Siasia to pick a ticket for next year’s Olympic Games Football Event bill for Rio, Brazil.

    He disclosed this to SportingLife in Abuja during the CAF B Coaching Course that was concluded on Saturday at the Abuja National Stadium Goal Project.

    “I have not changed my nationality. I am a Nigerian and a patriotic one indeed so I want the best for my country. I can never wish my country bad. So I pray for the Dream Team V1 to pick one of the tickets for the Olympics”.

    The CAF Instructor said he looks forward to a good outing by the  National U-23 Team in Senegal. “I know nothing good comes  by magic but this depends on what  the handler put into the team,” Onigbinde stated.

    The former Super Eagles tactician to the 2002 FIFA  World Cup also expressed happiness that Siasia’s mother who was kidnapped 12 days ago was eventually released by her abductors. ” It is unfortunate that he got into that problem  the Nigerian system got him into that. But I am happy that Siasia’s mother has been re-united with her family,” Onigbinde disclosed.