Foreign coach not best for Super Eagles – Sunday Oliseh

By Olaolu Joseph

Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, has once again kicked against the appointment of a foreign tactician for the national team.

Speaking on a Channels Television programme, the ex-international, who has consistently advocated for local coaches to be given the job, insisted that there are qualified indigenous coaches capable of handling the role.

“I am totally against that coaching role not being given to a Nigerian because we have qualified Nigerians who can do the job,” the former Juventus midfielder said.

Buttressing his point, Oliseh recalled how some key players were discovered during his short spell as head coach of the Super Eagles.

“When you talk about the defensive midfield role, I was the one who brought in the young man Wilfred Ndidi. It was at the same time I brought in Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho. I gave them their first call-up because they had the quality,” he stated.

Oliseh also condemned the current handling of the team’s captaincy, criticising the practice of having the captain sit on the bench.

“This is an anomaly, and it started when we began having captains sitting on the bench. You can’t have that. You can’t have your captain sitting on the bench,” he said.

“In other words, you are saying it is an assistant that is leading the team. The Super Eagles’ role is the most important in Nigerian football,” added the former national team coach.