One of Germany’s regional league teams has kicked off a refreshing partnership with one of Nigeria’s greatest ever midfielders
German Regionalliga West side SV Straelen has confirmed the appointment of former Super Eagles head coach Sunday Oliseh as the new team manager, ending the 47-year-old’s four-year stay without a coaching job.
Straelen’s boss Hermann Tecklenburg revealed that the club decided to hand Oliseh a one-year contract after fruitful conversations over the past couple of weeks and that the former Juventus midfielder is excited to take over at Römerstraße.
“Yes, Sunday Oliseh will be our new coach. A good 14 days ago, we had delicious asparagus at the Straelener Hof,” Tecklenburg said, as per Waz.
“That was a good conversation. In the last 24 hours, we were also able to discuss an employment contract until June 30, 2023.
“On Wednesday 21 June, Sunday will lead the first practice session. We look forward to working together.”
With the appointment, Oliseh returns to Germany, where he spent seven cumulative years during his playing days wearing the colours of FC Cologne, Borussia Dortmund, and Vfl Bochum. He was a member of the Dortmund side that lifted the Bundesliga title in 2002.
A key member of Nigeria’s victorious Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games squad, Oliseh played for Juventus, Ajax, and Genk before retiring in 2006.
The defensive midfielder took up a role in management shortly after, leading Belgian side Eupen as sporting director in 2007.
Oliseh was appointed Super Eagles manager in 2015 but barely lasted nine months in the saddle before he resigned due to disagreements with the Nigeria Football Federation.
In 2017, the former RFC Liege star was named as the manager of Dutch second division side Fortuna Sittard and was doing well until he was dismissed towards the end of the season.
And over four years after that bitter-sweet adventure in the Netherlands, Oliseh, regarded as one of Nigeria’s finest ever midfielders, is ready to open a new chapter of his story.
“After this long break, Sunday is excited about his new job at SV Straelen,” said Tecklenburg.
SV Straelen are in the fourth-tier of the German football league structure.