Tag: Shaibu Amodu

NFF Names Paul Le Guen As New Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser

Paul Le Guen, NFF, Super Eagles, Technical AdviserThe Technical and Development Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation on Monday named Frenchman Paul Le Guen, as the new Technical Adviser of the Senior National Team, Super Eagles.

He will be assisted by Nigerian Salisu Yusuf, who takes the role of Chief Coach.

The appointments are subject to agreement of contract terms with the NFF Executive Committee.

Spokesman of the Committee, Paul Bassey, told thenff.com after the meeting at the NFF secretariat on Monday that Enugu Rangers gaffer Imama Amapakabo and former Super Eagles’ goalkeeper and skipper Alloy Agu, who served as assistant coach and goalkeeper trainer for the games against Mali and Luxembourg in May, retain their places in the technical crew.

The new crew’s immediate challenge is a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania in the first week of September – a dead rubber, but which would serve as ample preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match away to Zambia on October 3.

The 52-year-old new Eagles’ boss steered the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.

He played for Brest, Nantes and Paris Saint Germain and won 17 caps for France, before coaching Rennes, Lyon, PSG (in France) and Glasgow Rangers (in Scotland). He also coached Oman.

Yusuf, capped at U20 level by Nigeria, called the shots in interim capacity for two international friendly matches in Europe at the end of May, which the Eagles won.

The Committee has also recommended to the NFF Board, the appointment of one–time Super Eagles’ assistant coach Bitrus Bewarang as the new NFF Technical Director. Bewarang, who is president of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, will replace the late Coach Shaibu Amodu.

There is also a recommendation that former Super Eagles’ defender Nduka Ugbade be restored to the U17 National Team as assistant to Coach Manu Garba.

Keshi Has Begun To Overstep His Boundaries – Obanya

KeshiSports journalist, Nnamdi Obanya, believes that the reinstatement of Stephen Keshi as the Coach of the Super Eagles, makes Nigeria’s football and general sports administration look like a joke in the eyes of the world.

“You sacked a coach, the person whom you brought to replace him made an appeal to bring back the person he’s replacing.

“We also have words that Giwa, as one of the conditions for withdrawing his petition, said that Keshi must be brought back, whereas the new NFF board, the Amaju Pinnick board, had said they were going to look into getting somebody else,” he said, while condemning the seemingly inconsistent management of the country’s football.

He said that the whole problem started because of “orders from above which FIFA did not approve of”.

In reaction to the argument that the appeal by Coach Shaibu Amodu for the reinstatement of Keshi was logical because of the time constraint he had to make much impact on the team, Obanya said that the appeal would have made more sense if it was made immediately after his appointment as the interim coach and not two weeks after.

“The problem now is that Keshi has begun to overstep his boundaries. For example, Coordinator of Footballing Affairs, Emmanuel Attah, was replaced with Garba Lawal, and Keshi came back and said he can’t wok with him, he has to go.

“Yes Garba Lawal has been a critic of Keshi but I don’t think its Keshi’s place to decide. The same thing with the Media Officer; Ben Alaiya has been replaced by Toyin Ibitoye and that too has been reversed.

“Keshi has left the realm of building the team, getting the boys ready for matches, deciding on what fitness regimes to use and what tactics and is now dabbling into things that are beyond him. Then you begin to sense that perhaps he knows he has more authority than he should have.

“Its just funny because all these mess started because of ‘orders from above’ and we are back here again,” he said.

He wondered if Keshi would be retained if Nigeria gets lucky to qualify for the Nations’ Cup after the two AFCON qualifying matches, for which he was reinstated, are played.

Obanya predicts the start of another round of problems. “The drama is just beginning, this is just a tip of the iceberg.”

Mr Obanya was a Thursday guest of the award winning breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, on Channels Television.