By Emmanuel Afonne
Sani Fema, a former board member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said the Super Eagles are a group of talented players without good coordination and head coach.
Fema, who is now a Special Assistant on Sports to Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, made this known on Monday in Abuja, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He was reacting to the Super Eagles 1-0 defeat of the Djurtus of Guinea Bissau in the return-leg match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier played on Monday at the Estadio 24 de Setembro Stadium in Guinea Bissau.
The Djurtus had three days ago humbled the Nigerian team 1-0 at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja in the first-leg of their encounter.
But Fema said the Eagles performance in Bissau have shown that the team was capable of confronting and defeating any team in the world but that it lacked the technical crew to bring out the best in the players.
“We can play Brazil with the same players but the problem is that we don’t have a good coach, I am sorry to say this; our technical crew is not good enough but we have the players to play any team in the world.
“You can see that the players did well in Guinea Bissau, most especially in the first half, the host couldn’t attack them.
“I am so impressed with the team but like I said, we lack good technical crew.
“I am not supporting Peserio, I prefer our local coaches.
“We have potential coaches, the likes of Sunday Oliseh and Emmanuel Amuneke. Oliseh is one of the best coaches in the world.
“Combine Oliseh with Amuneke and Salisu, then the Super Eagles are good to go because the players will listen to them having played in the team before them,” Fema said.
According to him, Oliseh is the best Nigerian coach to handle the present crop of Eagles.
Fema noted that Oliseh was not able to handle the team in his short stint as its coach because of circumstances beyond his control, but that the environment was befitting now for him to excel with the team.
“If you give Oliseh this calibre of players we have now, I tell you, the team will be the pride of the world.
“Imagine these players playing on a waterlogged pitch in Guinea Bissau and were still able to secure the maximum three points.”
He said that not even Sao Tome and Principe or Sierra Leon could stop the Super Eagles from finishing top of Group A and also picking the AFCON ticket.
(NAN)
