The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Super Eagles

  • Super Eagles to get new technical adviser in August – NFF

    Super Eagles to get new technical adviser in August – NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will appoint a technical adviser for the Super Eagles in August.

    The Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Chris Green, said this in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

    The NFF Executive Committee had given the committee seven days to name a technical adviser for the Super Eagles following the federation’s botched attempt to employ Frenchman Paul Le Guen as technical adviser earlier this month.

    “We are working to ensure that we finish with the other incidentals, because at the last time we didn’t do that.

    “We left it for the executive to do, which ordinarily should be their responsibility.

    “But when they now asked us to go and do it again, they told us to complete everything with the process and send recommendations.

    “And we are doing that now. We don’t want a situation where somebody will come out again and say this and that.

    “As I speak with you, we have made contacts, we have done interviews, we have asked questions and the rest of them – even verifying from every other person.

    “We have considered at a lot of people, but we have zeroed in on one person.

    “It may not be from the former list. It is a different exercise entirely, because as I speak to you, even when we have closed entries, some people are still applying,’’ Green told NAN.

  • Le Guen may reconsider Nigeria’s offer – French media

    Le Guen may reconsider Nigeria’s offer – French media

    Although Frenchman Paul Le Guen has rejected the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) initial offer to take charge of the Super Eagles, the former Lyon manager may reconsider the proposal and lead the three-time African champions during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, French media reported on Wednesday.

    French daily L’equipe reported in its online publication that there could still be a window for the sides to renegotiate and perhaps come to an agreeable term on the matter.

    The NFF technical and development committee on Monday picked Le Guen as new Super Eagles gaffer after interviewing three coaches shortlisted for the job.

    “However, the deal was subject to Le Guen agreeing contract terms with the NFF’s Executive Committee,” the committee said in a statement announcing the selection of the Frenchman as Eagles’ coach.

    The Chairman of the NFF’s executive committee, Christopher Green, on Tuesday confirmed that the former Cameroon trainer did not accept the terms offered by the federation.

    “The announcement made on Monday (by the NFF’s technical committee) was quite clear. Le Guen was offered the job subject to contract terms being agreed.

    “We had to look at the best interest of the country before offering anyone the job (to manage the Super Eagles) and one of such conditions was that the new technical adviser would reside in Nigeria.

    “A situation where Nigeria will be the loser will never be accommodated by the NFF.

    “We want a coach who will not just take the Super Eagles to the next level but will develop Nigerian football as a whole and if he does not reside in Nigeria, it may not be feasible,” footballlive.ng  quoted Green as saying to supersport.com on Tuesday.

    He said the NFF would “look at the next door” after Le Guen snub.

    “We will look at the next door if Le Guen decides not to accept the terms we offered him.

    “A lot of top coaches applied to coach Nigeria and even more (who did not officially apply) are desirous of coaching Nigeria.

    “The options are open and we want to assure Nigerians that we will contract a coach that will befit the status of Nigeria as one of the best national teams in Africa.

    “We are working assiduously to make Nigerians happy and will not relent till we achieve set objectives,” Green said.

     

  • Paul Le Guen ‘yet to accept’ Super Eagles job

    Paul Le Guen ‘yet to accept’ Super Eagles job

    Frenchman Paul Le Guen has not reached an agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to become the Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles despite the federation’s announcement on Monday.

    According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Le Guen has not accepted Nigeria’s offer because the NFF is yet to meet the terms and conditions requested by the coach to work as new Eagles boss.

    A statement released by the NFF on Monday evening confirmed that the deal was not complete, Goal reports.

    “The appointments [of Yusuf Salisu and Le Guen] are subject to agreement of contract terms with the NFF Executive Committee,” the federation said in the statement.

  • Nigeria will qualify for 2018 World Cup – Pinnick

    Nigeria will qualify for 2018 World Cup – Pinnick

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Amaju Pinnick, has expressed optimism that the Super Eagles will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

    Pinnick disclosed this after meeting the NFF technical committee on the choice of Frenchman Paul Le Guen as new Eagles’ technical adviser.

    “By God’s grace we are going to qualify. We have worked round and have done everything possible. We have discussed with the players. There are a lot of things we have done. There is a level you can go in terms of providing everything,” Goal quoted Pinnick as saying on Nigeria World Cup aspiration on Tuesday.

    “All what they need is mental character, we have to psyche them up. You have to give them the sense of patriotism.

    “If you see what Ronaldo did, he was injured and he was crying when he was being taken out of the field. That is the kind of mentality we want our players to put up when they are playing for the team.

    “Like I said, the 20 teams that qualified for the last round are all capable. I would rather play Algeria than to play Gabon.

    “Gabon has never been to the World Cup and the players would want to go to the World Cup. I can assure you.”

     

  • No agreement with NNPC on Eagles’ coach – NFF

    No agreement with NNPC on Eagles’ coach – NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has not reached an agreement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for payment of salaries of the incoming Super Eagles’ head coach, the federation said on Wednesday.

    Reports had said the NFF had secured the sum of $1.5 million from the NNPC to cater for salaries of the handler to be named next week, but the federation has dismissed the report as untrue.

    “The story is the figment of the imagination of the writer. Nobody in the NFF or NNPC discussed the matter of salary of Eagles’ coach and there is no iota of truth in it,” Goal quoted Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, as saying in a statement on Wednesday.

    “Of course, we would be happy if the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation can come into Nigeria football, as we are trying to attract more corporate bodies into the Nigeria game. But there has been no discussion between NFF and the NNPC over payment of the new Super Eagles’ head coach or technical crew salaries.”

    Three candidates – Salisu Yusuf, Belgian Tom Saintfiet and Frenchman Paul Le Guen have been shortlisted for the Super Eagles’ job.

     

  • Baraje to NFF: Allow Yusuf to lead Super Eagles

    Baraje to NFF: Allow Yusuf to lead Super Eagles

    Plateau United head coach, Zachary Baraje, has said it is absurd that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is thinking of hiring a foreign manager for the Super Eagles despite the federation’s investment on training programme for the team caretaker boss, Salisu Yusuf and other Nigerian coaches.

    Baraje told Goal that the cash, energy and the time expended on trip to England for a training programme would amount to a waste if the NFF eventually appoints a foreigner as Eagles’ coach.

    “I want to state my own view regarding the craze for a foreign coach,” Baraje told Goal.

    “I want to ask a question, what has happened to the training received by some coaches taken abroad by the NFF some time ago last year? Will the training they had just go down the drain like that?

    “I am not in support of bringing a foreign coach to lead the Eagles when we have coaches that are qualified and have gone through the necessary training to be equipped for the challenge of coaching the senior national team.

    “Salisu Yusuf was one of the coaches sent to the United Kingdom not too long ago for a training course and he has worked with past Super Eagles coaches as assistant coach and should be given the chance to lead the team now.

    “We are still struggling to pay the salaries of national team coaches including the ones that are dead and how are we going to offset the salaries of a foreign coach?”

    The NFF had said over 20 coaches including Peter Ijeh and Salisu Yusuf applied for the Super Eagles job with applications expected to close on Wednesday.

     

  • NFF must hire right coach for Eagles – Mastoroudes

    NFF must hire right coach for Eagles – Mastoroudes

    A former member of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical committee, John Mastoroudes, has tasked the federation to employ the right foreign coach for the Super Eagles.

    Mastoroudes, who was the general manager of the all-conquering Leventis United side of the 80s, said the NFF should hire coach that will command the players’ respect.

    “The NFF hiring a foreign coach depends on what the blueprint is and what we want to achieve going forward,” told africanFootball.com.

    “If you ask me, we have good local coaches in Nigeria and there are equally good foreign coaches in Europe.”

  • Yusuf applies for Eagles’ job

    Yusuf applies for Eagles’ job

    Nigeria caretaker coach, Salisu Yusuf, has submitted his application to head the Super Eagles coaching crew in full capacity.

    The technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had requested all interested coaches to apply for the post vacated by Sunday Oliseh in February, africanFootball.com reports.

    Yusuf had assisted the late Stephen Keshi, Sunday Oliseh and Samson Siasia in the Super Eagles’ bench in the last one year.

    He led the team two  international friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg in May.

  • Yusuf not ripe to lead Eagles – West

    Yusuf not ripe to lead Eagles – West

    Former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, has backed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in its quest to hire a foreign coach for the Super Eagles, insisting that caretaker manager, Salisu Yusuf, is not ripe enough to lead the team.

    There have been calls for the former Kano Pillars coach to be appointed substantive Super Eagles manager based on his recent exploit with the team in the two friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg.

    However, the ex- Inter Milan defender believes people clamouring for Yusuf retention are doing so for selfish reasons.

    West said the tight nature of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying group makes it imperative for NFF to get a foreign coach for the Super Eagles.

    ” I have watched with keen interest the debate on if Salisu Yusuf should be retained or not and my take is that he is not ripe enough to handle the Super Eagles in competitive games especially at this time when we are under pressure for missing two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations,” West told Owngoalnigeria.com

    ” The last two editions of the Cup of Nations we failed to qualify for was down to marginal technical error on the part of our coaches against superior coaches of our opponents. Therefore we can’t afford to make such mistake again.

    “This is the World Cup qualifiers and with all due respect if we want to qualify from a group that has Cameroun, Algeria and Zambia we need a better coach than Salisu Yusuf.”

  • Super Eagles will have substantive Head Coach in two weeks’ time-Pinnick

    Super Eagles will have substantive Head Coach in two weeks’ time-Pinnick

     

    Amaju Pinnick, the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), on Sunday in Ibadan said the Super Eagles would have a substantive Head Coach within the next two weeks.

    Pinnick told newsmen that the football body was working assiduously to ensure they got a new head coach for the Super Eagles, urging Nigerians to hope for the best.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NFF President was in Ibadan to watch a 2015/2016 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match.

    The NPFL Match Day 24 fixture between hosts Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) and FC IfeanyiUbah Football Club ended in a 2-2 draw.

    Pinnick also spoke on the Russia 2018 World Cup Qualifier draws, pointing out that football has come of age and was getting tougher by the day.

    “Football has come of age. Peru beat Brazil in Copa America. But I think we have assets that can make the country proud and I believe we will qualify,’’ he said.

    NAN recalls that the African 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers have the Super Eagles placed in Group B with Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia.

    The NFF President said Super Eagles players were excited about facing Algeria and not Egypt, adding that the Federation would do everything possible to support them to qualify.

    “We will ensure that we make the difference in all,’’ he said.

    Also speaking on the allegation that he was in Ibadan as a guest of FC IfeanyiUbah, Pinnick said he was there to visit his aunt.

    “I grew up here and I am a fan of 3SC. I have only come to greet my aunty in Ibadan,’’ he stated.

    Pinnick said he was very glad to see football fans come out in their thousands to support 3SC.

    “It is a sign of the people’s love for the team and the game,’’ he said.