NFF’s Misstep: Hiring A Foreign (Malian) Coach Is A Blow To Nigeria’s National Pride

The announcement of Eric Chelle as the new Super Eagles coach has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Nigerian football enthusiasts. This decision is a furtherance of insulting Nigeria’s national pride. With numerous former Nigerians football heroes boasting international certification and experience, it beggars belief that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) would opt for a foreign coach.

Chelle’s last major assignment was coaching the Malian team to the AFCON, which was not even impressive. What other outstanding credentials did NFF consider to qualify Chelle for the job? Assuming without conceding that Eric Chelle parades such intimidating laurels, that does not justify overlooking Nigerian coaches with impressive credentials. It’s high time the NFF looked inward and tapped into the wealth of experience and expertise that Nigerian coaches have to offer.

Many countries, including those in the global South have long adopted the practice of appointing local coaches to manage their national teams. This approach not only fosters national pride but also helps to develop local talent and reduce capital flight. By paying a foreign coach, we are essentially exporting our hard-earned currency, which could be better utilized in developing our local football infrastructure.

Moreover, appointing a Nigerian coach would send a powerful message about the value we place on our own citizens’ expertise and contributions. It would be an evidence of our confidence in our own abilities and a commitment to developing our local football talent.

Apart from very recent engagement of Finidi George and, some Ex-super Eagles such as late Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia and the legendary Chief Adegboye Onigbinde had successfully coached the super eagle. It’s on record that Chief Adegboyega’s leadership was an era of renaissance for the national team when new bloods were massively injected into the team. The Super Eagle recorded sterling performances during the tenure of the Nigerian coaches above.

The NFF’s decision to appoint Eric Chelle as the new Super Eagles coach and it’s avowed decision to continue to give consideration to foreign Coach is a misstep that requires urgent review for a better approach that would give Nigerian coaches the opportunity to shine, afterall foreigners are not being hired to manage Nigeria politics, elections and government despite the seemingly incurable inefficiency of these processes which are the most critical ingredients to the transformation any sector of Nigeria’s national life.

My Soliloquy: Adenitan Akinola