National Teams
Super Eagles: Kadiri Ikhana tasks NFF to hire intellectual coach
By Saheed Afolabi
Veteran gaffer, Kadiri Ikhana has called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to employ an intellectual coach for the national team.
The vastly experiences Ikhana tasked the NFF to look out for foreign coaches that will prioritize development of coaches and qualify Nigeria for major competitions with ease.
The one time CAF coach of the year advised the Glass House to lookout for coaches who have the growth of the game at heart.
“Honestly, I think we need a good foreign coach who will not only qualify our two senior national teams for major competitions but also be very good in developing coaches and evolving a style of play for Nigeria or reverting to our old style of wing-play and power football,” Ikhana was quoted by Complete Sports.
“He may not necessarily be a big name in football coaching business, but must be one with strong desire for success and growth of the game in Nigeria. Coaches who won us laurels at the international levels in the past were not known names in the world of football but they worked so hard and made names with the Super Eagles.
“The likes of Father Tiko, Otto Gloria, Westerhof and Bonfrere Jo were not very popular names until they came to Nigeria and won laurels. These they did because they wanted to succeed and their hard-work paid off. We still have such coaches in Europe. NFF should scout them and contract them to revive our ailing football.
“Young and intellectually sound local coaches should be appointed to work and under study the foreign coach who will also reside in Nigeria. The foreign coach should also be assigned to develop the national teams like the U-23 and home based Eagles. I believe the Super Eagles will fly again if we get the right coach.”
Ikhana took the Super Falcons to a third place finish at the Women Africa Cup Of Nations (WAFCON) in 2008 in Equatorial Guinea.
