Super Eagles don’t need a foreign coach – Rafiu Ladipo

7 years ago

Super Eagles don’t need a foreign coach – Rafiu Ladipo

President-General of the Nigeria football and other sports supporters club, Rafiu Ladipo, has warned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), not to hire a foreign coach.
The Super Eagles have been without a permanent handler, since Sunday Oliseh resigned in February 2016, with Samson Siasia and Salisu Yusuf given interim roles.

On July 18, the NFF announced Paul Le Guen as the new technical adviser of the team, but the Frenchman rejected the job and claimed he was never interested.

The federation has already confirmed that a new man will be announced in August and Ladipo has urged them to look inwards.

“When they [NFF] were searching for coaches, we told them our stand that we need a Nigerian coach but they didn’t listen,” Ladipo told Goal.

“Though a lot of people would say our indigenous coaches are sentimental, I agree with that but it does happen everywhere too even among the whites. At a point in time, a coach would have his plans, have his own players, knows where a player fits and what system he wants to play.

“All we are saying is, if you bring a foreign coach and qualify for the World Cup, is he going to be in Nigeria forever? An indigenous coach will be here forever. Come to think of it, bringing an expatriate is more expensive than a local coach.

“Again, if Jose Mourinho for instance is our national team coach and Nigeria is facing Portugal, will he be playing for Nigeria to beat his country of birth? Never! His first loyalty is to Portugal unless he is someone who doesn’t believe in himself and his country.

“If we eventually land a foreign coach, we should ask ourselves, will his salary be paid as at when due? Or do we think a whiteman would work for four months without being paid and won’t abandon the job? Whereas, a Nigerian coach would be owed close to six and seven months and still remain loyal and dedicated.

“Few months ago, Samson Siasia was calling for his five months unpaid salaries, can the NFF try that with a foreign coach?

“Most importantly, what will be our gains if we employ a foreign coach and our local coaches don’t learn anything from him? The foreign coach [Paul Le Guen] is telling you he wants to bring his assistants so what our local coaches learn from him?

“Anyway, If the NFF can pay a foreigner as at when due, and let our coaches get attached to him to learn , no problem but if these criteria are not met, we are not doing the right thing and moving miles backward”, he added.