Finidi George: An experiment primed to fail by NFF who prefer foreign coach
With due respect, coach Finidi George was naive to have hastily accepted the job of Super Eagles’ chief coach without due consultation.
Those running the NFF today are a grossly incompetent gang whose figment of imagination sees the success of only the Super Eagles as a tool they can always use to hang on to power, having nothing else to offer.
That is why, even with the back-to-back failures of two foreign coaches, Gernot Rohr and Jose Peseiro, they still preferred a foreign coach.
The appointment of Finidi George was by accident, occasioned by the pressure of Nigerian football fans.
That gang does not like our indigenous coaches, which is why they have done nothing to upgrade the status of Nigerian coaches, despite huge resources specifically provided for technical development and the training and retraining of coaches from FIFA and CAF annually.
The offer of the chief coach job to Finidi was a Greek gift already primed to fail by those who conceived it.
Until the NFF are properly constituted, indigenous coaches cannot succeed in Nigeria—not with this 10-year gang of treasury looters.
It’s only the indigenous coaches who know the internal workings of the federation and can circumvent the weeds and thorns thrown at them that can succeed.
The likes of the late Amodu Shuaibu, Stephen Keshi of blessed memory, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, and Samson Siasia. These coaches know their way and have the staying power to succeed—they can challenge any sabotage to failure because they will speak out.
Even the craze for foreign coaches extended to the Super Falcons, a brand that the late coach Paul Hamilton and Ismaila Mabo of blessed memory worked hard to take to the zenith of global football, which is now being handled by an unknown foreign coach—what a shame!
Although it was clear that Finidi did not prove his mettle in the two competitive games he handled, he did not fail for reasons of technical ineptitude; he simply did not have an enabling environment to give his best.
The results of both Rohr and Peseiro were not better in their first four games in charge of the Super Eagles.
Finidi George should be commended for towing the path of honour by resigning his appointment.
Our indigenous coaches attached to the national teams should take a cue from Finidi George.
Nigeria should also take a cue from Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire and hire indigenous coaches towards a rebuilding process.
Hiring any foreign coach now is a cut-and-nail process and a short-term measure that leads us nowhere.
Success and development in football require diligent planning.
By Harrison Jalla
