As the Nigeria Football Federation gets set to unveil Belgian, Tom Santifient, as the new technical director for the country, former Super Eagles coach, Amodu Shuaibu, as well as a couple of other Nigerian coaches, have kicked against the appointment.

The erstwhile Eagles Chief Coach has thus called on the NFF to shelve or even cancel the plans to contract a foreigner as the technical director for football in the country.

Amodu, who was speaking with newsmen after the opening ceremony of the CAF/NFF B license coaching course in Abuja, stated that it would amount to eating ones’ words if the NFF ignores the assemblage of highly rated and qualified coaches coordinating the ongoing CAF course to now go on to announce a foreigner as technical director.

“I have confirmed from the president of the NFF, Aminu Maigari, that there was plan to hire a foreign technical director and I have called my colleagues at this coaching course to ask them if it would be an affront to ask the federation why they neglected all the resource persons of this country and go out for a foreign coach, is that a measure of lack of respect for all we have done for our football,” Amodu queried.

“We are still contemplating and we are looking for the best venue to meet the federation about it. If they still have it in the pipe line, I think they should shelve that and allow people from here to succeed that position. It is not a big deal, we don’t need a foreign coach, I have said that we don’t need a foreigner to head the technical department in other to right the wrongs of our football.

We have the solution

Amodu went on “The problems of our football is in our hands and if we can be very sincere and put the right person in the right place. It will be an anomaly to place our football under a foreign directive. It wont change any situation, they have to get down to business and make sure that they put proper plan in place and fund it very well before the result will start coming.

“If the NFF go ahead to announce the appointment of the foreigner as national technical director, an announcement can be reversed. If we feel strong about it that it is not right, we ‘ll make a protest, to say this is not even the right person even if you are going to subject that position to a white man” he stated. 

According to Amodu, Nigeria don’t seem to learn from history and its mistakes. 

“History has not taught us anything as a nation that is why we keep making the same mistakes. Today we have cleverly abandoned the appointment of a national coach for our teams to now hiring foreigners to help organize our football.”

He also wondered why the NFF narrowed the interview to only one man whereas there are several Nigerians who are qualified for the job in this country.