Indications are emerging that the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) may have resolved to hire another foreign tactician to replace Jose Peseiro as the Super Eagles head coach.
Following the recent announcement by NFF, asking interested coaches to apply for the plum Super Eagles job after expiration of the former coach’s contract, no fewer than 40 local and foreign coaches are said to have applied for the position that many football stakeholders now feel should be occupied by an indigenous coach.
Former Nigerian internationals, Emmanuel Amuneke, Finidi George who served as assistant coach to Peseiro, Daniel Amokachi, Sunday Oliseh, Salisu Yusuf, Sylvanus Okpala are among Nigerian coaches who have applied for the job.
Micheal Nsien, a Nigerian coach who is currently handling the USA U-17 and U-19 national teams, is also in the race for the juicy position.
One-time Indomitable Lions of Cameroon Portuguese coach, Antonio Canceicao is one of the foreign tacticians who is said to be highly favoured to land the job.
However, a member of the NFF Technical Committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the committee, said what the Super Eagles need right now is a sound foreign technical adviser who will not only impact positively on the senior national team, but help in developing other aspects of Nigerian football.
He reiterated that there is nothing wrong with hiring a foreign coach, but whoever is coming must possess a world-class skills with track record of achievements as manager of a renowned football nation.
“I have nothing against indigenous coaches, but I will say that the person we need at the moment is a foreign coach with the prerequisite experience to handle the Super Eagles. He must be the type of coach who will come and support in the overall development of our football.
“The Super Eagles as presently constituted are too big for the indigenous coaches that Nigerians are clamouring for. They are not bad coaches, but they are not yet at the level that they can effectively handle the senior national team.
“If you talk to most of my colleagues in the committee, they will tell you the same thing. Most of us are for a foreign coach for the Super Eagles. I believe the NFF will see reason with some of us on this matter,” the very influential member of the NFF Technical Committee said.
Recall that the Technical Committee met recently in Abuja to scrutinise the applications received by the football Federation after it advertised the vacant positions of the head coach of the Super Eagles and that of the Golden Eaglets.