National Teams
Current Super Eagles lacks respect, says ex-Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh
By Monsurah Olatunji
Former Nigeria captain and coach, Sunday Oliseh has blasted the current squad for lack of respect for their seniors following Victor Osimhen’s online dragging of Finidi George.
The former Juventus midfielder believes that the players representing Nigeria now, and even the generation from the 2010s, do not revere their predecessors, citing that as the cause of the disconnect between the legends and emerging stars.
The 49-year-old was an integral member of the Super Eagles ‘Class of 94’, earning the name from their exceptional showing at the 1994 World Cup in the USA, as was Finidi George.
“It boils down to respect,” Oliseh told Elegbete TV.
“The current generations, the ones who see themselves as stars, have little respect for those who came before them. Especially those who came before them that are bigger than them.
“Not every generation is like that! Nobody from my generation ever calls the 1980 generation by name. Like you see Mr. Segun Odegbami, we don’t call him Segun or Odegbami; we call him Big Sheg.
“You see captain Christian Chukwu of the 1980s; we don’t call him Chukwu; we call him the Chairman because he was the chairman of the defence back then. The same with Mr Adokie Amesimaka; we don’t call him Adokie Amesimaka; we call him the name of the legal system (Chief Justice). It’s a sign of respect.
“That doesn’t mean that that generation did not fault us. Mr Odegbami has written some articles, even against my person, that I felt were so bad and so badly informed, wrong and hurtful.
“I didn’t go out there and start shouting Segun Odegbami, Segun Odegbami, no. One time I called him and I told him ‘Big Shegs nawao, why you go talk this kind thing.’
“And to my greatest surprise, he said, “Sunny [Oliseh], I dey sorry, I been no dey aware. Till today I still call Big Shegs and we discuss private things together… That respect stopped after our generation.”
Oliseh served Nigeria for ten years including three as captain before he was appointed as Super Eagles coach in July 2015, and he spent eight months on the job.
