Former Nigeria and Watford defender, Sam Sodje, has prompted the Nigerian Football Federation to expeditiously hire a new coach permanently, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 44-year-old played across several English clubs like Brentford, Reading, West Bromwich Albion, Watford, and Leeds United, before retiring with Portsmouth in 2013. He also played five games for the Super Eagles of Nigeria between 2005 and 2009, despite being born in England.
Jose Peseiro led Nigeria to a second-place finish at the AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast, and his contract with the NFF ended in late February.
Finidi George took over the coaching duties of the Nigerian team during the March International break, recording a win over Ghana and a loss to Mali. While many have tipped the Enyimba coach to take over the Super Eagles duty permanently, the NFF has yet to make an official statement.
Nigeria will play two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying games against South Africa and Benin Republic in June, and Sodje believes it is imperative to appoint a coach soon so the team can build chemistry and work towards a clear philosophy.
“I think we’re leaving it too late. A couple of months going into the World Cup qualifiers, not having a manager doesn’t look good at all because it’s not club football. A coach doesn’t see his players as often as he would love to because it’s international football. It’s so sad that we don’t see how important preparation is to these games,” Sodje said in quotes revealed by Sports 247.
The Delta State native spoke about Nigeria’s outing at the AFCON 2023 tournament, highlighting the lack of technicality as the reason success wasn’t guaranteed in Ivory Coast.
“We played against South Africa and the only way teams can touch us at the moment is technical know-how. If we are sound technically, I don’t think anyone in Africa can touch us,” the former Notts County defender added.
Nigeria will have the home advantage when they play against South Africa in their World Cup qualifying game on the 6th of June, before travelling to the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan to face Benin Republic three days later.
N.B: We want to know your thoughts. Do you think Sam Sodje was right? Let us know in the comments.
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