Harrison Jalla, the chairman of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to choose the head coach for the Super Eagles.
Mr Jalla, who said this while addressing journalists on Tuesday in Lagos, said it was time for an indigenous coach to take over as the head coach of the Super Eagles.
He said the NFF had engaged foreign coaches for more than eight years without substantial results to show for it.
“With more than five unproductive years with Gernot Rohr and almost two years of Jose Paseiro, with Coach Austine Eguavoen making a brief stint in-between.
“It is time to engage our indigenous coaches with the same terms and conditions given to Gernot Rohr and Jose Paseiro. Any attempt to treat indigenous coaches differently will be resisted,” Mr Jalla said.
He said Messrs Rohr and Paseiro left no legacy other than destroying the Super Eagles’ traditional pattern of free-flow football.
“None of these foreign coaches could attain Coach Stephen Keshi’s 2013 AFCON record,” added Mr Jalla.
Mr Jalla urged the NFF to invest in the development of indigenous coaches through the annual technical grants from FIFA and CAF, which would benefit our football.
According to Mr Jalla, the nucleus of the team that won the 2013 AFCON are home-based players.
“We have a legion of ex-internationals that are qualified to handle the Super Eagles, Emmanuel Amuneke, Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George, Emeka Ezeugo among others.
“Nigeria was once at the 5th position in FIFA rankings, but clueless football administrators have pulled us to where we are today by recycling visionless leaders.
“The time to break that monopoly is now and it will certainly happen in a matter of weeks,” he said.
