Coaches want Siasia, Amuneke, others out of Eagles job

• Slam NFF boss over comment on indigenous coaches, demand apology

The Nigeria Football Coaches Association (NFCA), the umbrella body of coaches in Nigeria, says it would direct their colleagues in various national teams to withdraw their services in protest of recent declaration by the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that the nation’s coaches would no longer be entrusted to handle the Super Eagles.

The NFF president allegedly made the declaration last weekend when he attended this year’s Africa Business Conference of the Harvard Business School, in Boston, USA.

Though NFF Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi said on Tuesday that Pinnick’s statement was misunderstood, the coaches’ body (NFCA), insisted yesterday that Pinnick must apologise immediately or see the ‘other side’ of Nigerian coaches.

In a statement signed by its general secretary, Coach Solomon Ogbeide, after its emergency executive council meeting yesterday, the NFCA decried Pinnick’s statement saying that the NFF boss had demonstrated his inability to manage coaches.

The NFCA wondered where the NFF would get money to pay for a foreign coach when it’s clear the federation is cash trapped and can’t pay coaches under its bill, stressing that Amaju and his team are clearly chasing a wild goose chase.

“What is Amaju’s contribution to the development of football and coaches in the country? We all know how he managed Warri Wolves and left with huge debts. The turn over of coaches in Warri Wolves under his watch was unimaginable and the present managers of the team are battling to settle the debts,” the statement said.

According to the NFCA, Nigerian coaches have proved to be some of the best, not only in Africa but the world at large. It further said that for Amaju to issue a blanket statement discrediting them is a disservice to football development in the country.

“We have seen Nigerian coaches qualified the Super Eagles for the World Cup more than once. We have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup with Nigerian coaches five times. We have won African titles with Nigerian coaches and other heart-warming results. To ban them from the national team is unacceptable,” NFCA said.

And to protest the ban, the NFCA said: “We may have to ask our colleagues like Samson Siasia and others to step down because if they eventually qualify the Super Eagles, they wouldn’t be given the job.

“Amaju should bring his foreign coach now to prosecute the two-legged matches with Egypt and not use Siasia and others as spare before carrying out his plan.”