Eguavoen under fire over handling of CAF coaching courses

By Tosin Omojola

Nigerian CAF instructors have expressed anger over what they described as the unprofessional manner in which the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Austin Eguavoen, has been conducting a series of CAF C Licence coaching courses across the country.

The instructors, a majority of the 29 CAF-certified instructors in Nigeria, alleged that they had been sidelined from the courses, accusing Eguavoen of conducting training programmes in Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Ogun and Osun states with only Terry Eguaoje and an allegedly uncertified individual.

“What Eguavoen is doing is very unprofessional,” one of the aggrieved CAF instructors said.

“He has made the rest of us redundant, even though we are all qualified to participate in these courses. Instead, he is going around the country with only Dr Terry (Eguaoje) and one Fatai Akanji, who is not qualified to deliver papers at such courses. Just how unprofessional can you be?” the instructor queried.

Another instructor argued that the courses could be conducted simultaneously in different parts of the country, allowing more qualified instructors to participate.

“These courses could be done across the country at the same time, with some of us also being part of them,” the instructor added.

Meanwhile, the dispute between the instructors and Eguavoen has reportedly escalated, prompting the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute for Sports (NIS), Philip Shuaibu, to intervene in the crisis.

The development comes at a time when Eguavoen is seeking to retain his position as NFF Technical Director following the expiration of his contract.