“Recognize what your own can do” – Ex-Golden Eaglets head coach urges NFF to appoint home-based tactician for the Super Eagles

Former Golden Eaglets and Shooting Stars Coach, Fatai Amoo, has urged the Nigerian Football Federation to appoint a local coach to be in charge of the Super Eagles, Soccernet.ng reports.

The NFF appointed Finidi George to be in charge of the Nigerian football team last may, but it wasn’t a decision that went down well for both parties, and with the Super Eagles still without a head coach, Amoo believes a local option is best.

Speaking in an interview with Brila, the former Super Eagles midfielder mentioned several ex-Nigerian players who he thinks are fit for the role.

“We have our challenges from this part of the world. You cannot have people like Daniel Amokachi, who has assisted the late Amodu Shuaibu and the late Stephen Keshi to a successful degree in terms of achievements, and you still don’t want to look at him as somebody who can do something. Of course, it means you are not trying to recognize what your people can do. Sylvanus Okpala came out the other time, and people shouted that it couldn’t be. I don’t know why it can’t be because not only was he a player, but he is also a qualified coach, managed in Nigeria, and he has been with the national team,” the ex-Shooting Stars coach said.

Overall, Amoo believes the past experience of these coaches are more than enough reason for the NFF to delve into the plethora of options they have in the country.

“So, if you look at those who have done that and they are still coaching, there’s no point not to bring them together to do the job to get the substantive coach. So, I am towing the line that we should get Nigerian Indigenous coaches,” he concluded.

The Super Eagles will play against Rwanda and Benin Republic in their upcoming AFCON 2025 qualifiers next month, and are still without a coach.