Homegrown vs Foreign coach: Simon Moses breaks silence on Super Eagles coaching debate

Super Eagles winger, Simon Moses, weighs in on the ongoing debate over whether Nigeria’s national football team should be managed by a homegrown or foreign coach, Soccernet.ng reports. 

There has been mixed reaction within the Nigerian football community regarding the Nigeria Football Federation's decision to employ foreign coaches to manage the Super Eagles.

Many Nigerian fans believe that Super Eagles players tend to respect foreign coaches more than homegrown coaches.

In a candid discussion, Moses reflected on the benefits of having a local coach like Augustine Eguavoen, who understands the players and team dynamics intimately.

“The mood is a little bit up because coach Eguavoen knows some of the players, he knows the role he has to play,” Simon said. “He gives confidence mostly to the players. But we don't know the foreign coaches, we don’t know their tactics, or how they work. You can find the best player on the bench, but we don’t know.”

In 2024, Eguavoen became the third coach to manage the Super Eagles. José Peseiro quit the role after leading the team to a silver medal in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Former Ajax forward Finidi George then took over the role, but after only two months, he resigned, reportedly stating that the NFF did not back him.

During his short tenure, a conflict arose between him and star striker Victor Osimhen, who publicly criticised the former Nigeria international on social media.

This incident led many fans to conclude that a foreign coach would not be treated the same way by a Nigerian player.

Speaking against this notion, Moses revealed that a homegrown coach can be just as effective, if not better, than a foreign coach, stressing how crucial it is for players to have a coach who understands their playing style and the national football culture.

“But with coach Eguavoen, I think he knows everything about what is going on in the nation and what is going on within the team,” Moses added. “He was not actually out of the team because he is not the coach, but he is within the team because he is working with the federation.”

Coach @coacheguavoen is familiar with the team and most of us know him”- @Simon27Moses #soarsupereagles pic.twitter.com/XGNZYdwRSH

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) September 5, 2024

Previously, Simon reflected on his personal experiences under different coaching styles, comparing the tactical freedom he enjoyed under Eguavoen to the more rigid instructions he had to follow under previous foreign coaches.

“Of course, it was my best performance in the last two years,” Simon previously said, referring to his recent form. “We changed the coach and, of course, the tactics. So every coach has their own mentality and how they impact players.”

“With foreign coaches, I had to play strictly by their instructions, but now the current coach gives us the freedom to bring our club style of play into the national team.”

As Nigeria prepares for the upcoming 2025 AFCON qualifiers, the debate over whether to stick with a local coach or appoint a foreign tactician continues to stir conversations among fans and players alike.