World Cup Qualification: NFF will push for an experienced coach

The Director of Communications, Nigeria Football Federation, Ademola Olajire, says the football house will engage an experienced coach to guide the Super Eagles’ during the 2018 World Cup qualification.

Olajire made the assertion while reacting to the draws for the 2018 World Cup in Russia in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

Nigeria is drawn alongside Zambia, Algeria and Cameroon in the draws made on Friday at the African Football Confederations (CAF) Headquarters in Egypt.

Cameroon has appeared seven times in the tournament, while Nigeria has featured five times and Algeria four times.

“The first major task for the football house is to get an experienced coach who will be saddled with the responsibility of the qualification.

“Our first reaction to the qualifiers is to source for an experienced coach to tutor the team. We believe in the ability of our players, but they need a capable hand to tutor them.

“We are not afraid of any team, or their ranking in Africa, our own responsibility is to ensure the qualification of the Super Eagles. That is sacrosanct,’’ Olajire said.

A former coach of Super Eagles, Fanny Amun, said Nigeria had a chance to qualify if things are put in the right perspectives.

 “I think every team in that group has an equal opportunity to qualify, everybody wants to go to the World Cup, and teams like Algeria and Zambia are not push over too.

“We must start preparation immediately and it must start with the appointment of a good coach either local or foreign; the most important task is Nigeria’s qualification.

“This task of qualification has been missing in the past when we did not qualify for two consecutive Nations Cups. The only hope we have now is this qualification and we must not bungle it.

“However, I believe that Nigeria can qualify if the right thing is done at the appropriate time and not later.

“The NFF should settle down to business and solve the issues surrounding the appointment of a coach,’’ he said.

Amun also advised the NFF to have a cordial relationship with the technical crew and the players in the team of which failure might spell doom for Nigeria’s qualification from the tough group.

“NFF should have a good rapport with the team generally; they should not force anybody to play or beg anyone to represent the country, for what, if I may ask?

“Money should also not be on the front burner, many of us have served this country faithfully and this is where we are today; serving the country is a privilege and not monetary gain.

“The controversies over issues of bonuses should stop and only patriotic players should be invited with terms and conditions which should be pay as you go for bonuses.

“Players should get paid after qualification and not getting paid either they qualify us or not because at the end of the day some players get paid for doing nothing,’’ he said.

Amun contended that only a few countries still pay bonuses to their senior team.

“Let's call a spade a spade; we have done too much charity in this country which gets us nowhere.

“National team bonuses should be tied to the qualification that is the way to go,’’ he said. 

[NAN]