President of the Super Eagles Supporters Club of Nigeria, Vincent Okumagba, urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday to consider appointing an indigenous coach to lead the Super Eagles.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, Okumagba emphasized that choosing a local coach should be the next step to advance the Super Eagles’ prospects for upcoming qualifying games.
German coach Bruno Labbadia, who was initially slated to take over following Finidi George’s resignation, declined the offer after a contract issue.
Former Super Eagles defender and Technical Director of NFF, Austin Eguavoen, is in charge of the team in the interim.
Okumagba urged the NFF to look inwards and get the best local coach to secure the World Cup and African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tickets for the country.
He pointed out that the reliance on foreign coaches over the indigenous ones to do the magic had overly failed, stating that current situation of the economy had had a negative impact on sporting activities.
He said that bad management ,coupled with insecurity ,were barriers to finding a foreign coach to lead the Super Eagles.
“Any coach that is worth his salt or any high profiled coach will not actually want come to Nigeria.
“So if you ask for my candid opinion, it is better to look for a local coach to turn things around for the Super Eagles.
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“Looking for a foreign coach may not be the best approach because a local coach will undoubtedly have a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the team,” Okumagba said.
He added that it would take years for a foreign coach to understand Nigerian football ,saying former coaches Clemens Westerhof and Joe Bonfere took years to understand the Super Eagles.
“It could be said that foreign coaches have set a high standard of excellence in this field, which has perhaps placed local coaches under a certain amount of pressure.
“Super Eagles coaches could be chosen locally, ideally those who have played at the highest level and demonstrated capacity, can be effective coach.
“Eguavoen’s performance as interim coach has been well received, and it offers encouragement for younger local coaches,” he said.