Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh has launched a fresh attack on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for appointing Eric Chelle as head coach.
His remarks come amid Nigeria’s stumble in the World Cup qualifiers, which has left the team on the brink of missing out on back-to-back World Cup finals.
Oliseh, who voiced strong opposition when the Franco-Malian was unveiled, believes an indigenous coach would have been a better fit.
“I am a fanatical supporter of the Nigerian brand. I am totally against foreigners running our national team,” Oliseh said.
“Any Nigerian who says otherwise should give back their passport. The moment we accept that another race is better than us at managing our affairs, then we have lost.”
The former Super Eagles midfielder suggested that the government should extend the same logic to football governance if it remains committed to foreign leadership in the dugout.
“If we are going to keep a foreign coach, then the next step for the government is to bring in foreign football administrators. Maybe then they will realize they are killing Nigerian trade.
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Let’s kill the administrators’ trade too. Perhaps that will bring a solution,” he joked.
The Olympic gold medalist maintained that relying on indigenous coaches would not only preserve Nigeria’s football identity but also empower local expertise.
He warned that continued dependence on expatriates could undermine the country’s long-term football development.
