Sports
NFA Chides Oliseh Over Stand On Keshi
The Nigeria Football Federation on Monday said it was disappointed by recent comments by former Super Eagles’ captain, Sunday Oliseh, over the interview process that produced Stephen Keshi as new Head Coach of the senior national team, insisting that the comments were unfortunate.
“Oliseh’s coaching pedigree and assumed capabilities have not been demonstrated; they exist largely in the media. He has to demonstrate those assumed qualities at appropriate levels. As far as we are concerned, he did not react like a true sportsman,” said Barrister Chris Green, chairman of the NFF Technical Sub-Committee.
Green further said “you would expect someone like him, whom we suppose has a sense of maturity and decency, to simply congratulate his former captain, Mr. Keshi and gracefully accept the decision of the NFF, which has been hailed by the vast majority. Instead, he is saying the wrong things and trying to run the NFF down.
“How can Oliseh imagine that he will favourably compete with Keshi in an interview for senior team coaching position? How can anyone reasonably compare someone who has qualified a team to the FIFA World Cup finals and coached two different teams at the African Cup of Nations, at senior level, to someone who has only been dealing with junior ones and pupils?
“The NFF is proud to have appointed Keshi and we know he has capacity to take our football to the very top. Oliseh should work harder in the years ahead to earn some stripes in order to qualify to be considered for senior team coaching”, said Green.
Green also wants Oliseh to be definite and resolved about the role he wishes to play in Nigeria football.
“At first, he contested the position of Head Coach of Super Eagles with Keshi and Siasia, and lost. Siasia got the job based on his achievements with the junior and intermediate teams. Oliseh has nothing like that to show or to stand him in good stead. Months later, he wanted to be Technical Director. After the Eagles failed to qualify for the Cup of Nations and it was apparent Siasia would be asked to go, Oliseh suddenly reverted to wanting to be Head Coach.
“This should not be so. He should first sort out this confusion before trying to condemn others.
“The NFF Technical Sub-Committee is made up of eminent Nigerians, with several former captains of the Super Eagles and other highly qualified coaches and technical persons. At every point in time, we know what we are doing. No one can pull wool over our eyes,” stated Green.
Vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi have lent their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State-born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that: “This speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people.”
Raphael Onyedika has now emerged as a major doubt for the Super Eagles’ must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
The midfielder was forced out early from last week’s league game against Standard Liege.
He has not recovered from the injury and so will miss today’s league match against Gent and may also miss a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Super Eagles take on Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, before they face Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later in crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Al-Khalood defender, William Troost-Ekong, has shared his experience on the difficulties of winning the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while describing it a must win trophy.
The former Watford FC defender has competed in the tournament three times but has yet to lift the trophy.
“I’ve been there three times now, bronze medal, silver medal, but I haven’t had the chance to win it. That remains my ultimate goal,” he told Tidesports source.
“It means so much to me and all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”