Sunday Oliseh and the road to Nigeria’s football glory

BY VICTOR AMOS

It seemed it was never going to end.  The controversies surrounding Nigerian football senior men’s team, the Super Eagles kept growing bigger and louder.  From the ever present squabbling in the NFF over leadership changes, to the poor and ordinary football exhibited by the Super Eagles, the negative press kept coming.  It was becoming more and more of a circus and Nigerians, who worshiped football as a second religion were already fed up.  The problems kept piling, especially after the 2014 FIFA World Cup Fiasco in Brazil.  

The players threatened the national football governing body, the NFF with boycotting their second round World Cup match against France.  The players claimed that the World Cup organizers, Federation of International Football Associations, FIFA had paid wages and bonuses to all football federations.  The Super Eagles wanted their money paid before their next match against France.  The embarrassment forced the NFF into paying the money and the players, unwittingly shared the money into the night before their crucial match the next day against France.  They lost woefully and came back home a disjointed team.

In all of this crises, fingers were pointed at one man, Stephen Keshi, the Super Eagles head coach at the time.  Stephen Keshi was believed to have instigated the players into striking and barely had the Eagles plane landed from Brazil than he was sacked.  The Presidency interfered, contrary to FIFA rules and Keshi was re-instated.  But the distrusted and the damage was already established.  The nation’s football chiefs forgave, but did not forget.  On 4th July, 2015, Keshi was sacked.  Again, the nonchalance of the news reception by Nigerians spoke volumes.  Nigerians were tired of the sorry show.  They wanted a change.  Change did come on the 15th July, 2015.  Sunday Oliseh was announced as the new Super Eagles head coach.

The announcement was hailed by all Nigerians as the Midas touch.  Oliseh was believed to have acquired most of the characteristics of European coaches having lived most of his adult life abroad.  Oliseh represented the technically sound, adaptable modern and “no nonsense” coach Nigerians had long been craving for.  Most Nigerians believed a foreign coach is best for the Super Eagles but for George Westerhott and Bonfrere Jo, all the other European coaches had been glaring failures.  Oliseh is believed to tick all the right boxes but the question is: Is Oliseh the right man to lead the Super Eagles to become one of the best teams in the world again?

During Oliseh’s unveiling ceremony in Abuja, the Nigerian Football Federation waxed lyrical about the new Super Eagles project with Oliseh at the head.  For the first time in a very long time, it seemed both the NFF and the Super Eagles head coach were on the same page.  Specifically made perfect fit.  Before now, the relationship between the NFF and previous (especially indigenous) coaches had been one of mutual distrust.  Most of the coaches, including Stephen Keshi, Shuaibu Amodu, Samson Siasia etc had been too hasty in signing their contracts or not even signing one at all.  The NFF would therefore try to impose players on the coaches through phony technical committee.  This practice is both archaic and unproductive.  The coach should pick the players he feels are best equipped to give him what he wants based on specific matches, playing time with the clubs and other considerations.  The NFF stubbornly picked players and sacked the coaches when they lost matches.  Ironic?  Yes, but true.  Thankfully, Oliseh has been assured a free hand in picking players.  Oliseh also looks the sort of man to walk away honourably if terms of his contract are not honoured by the NFF.  We shall see.

In the past, whenever the position of the Super Eagles trainer became vacant and Oliseh’s name was mentioned in the conversation, the issue of his disciplinary record during his playing career would come up.  Sunday Oliseh had issues with both club and country during his playing days.  In March 2004, Oliseh was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after punching team-mate Vahid Hashemiah while on loan at VFL.  Oliseh also had a number of disciplinary issues leading to his suspension and him missing out on the 2002 World Cup.  At the press conference where he was unveiled, Oliseh made it clear that his disciplinary record as a player was a thing of the past.  He stated that he was now a coach and it was not possible for a coach to behave like a player.  Discipline is the banana peel of most Super Eagles coaches but as far as promises go, Oliseh might yet overcome this one.

For a coach yet to manage any major club or country in football, becoming the head coach of a big footballing country like Nigeria is a major leap.  Every Nigerian wants the Super Eagles to win their matches, whether against the truly elite like Germany, Argentina, Spain, or against the minors like Lesotho or Liberia, by 3 – 0 score line while playing electric football.  Nigerians are demanding realistically or not and the pressure is on the coaches.  And for a coach that is yet to handle the pressure of a team manager, the pressure might get under his skin and bounce off in team play.  Oliseh appears to be a more matured, stable and calm manager but that image is from press conferences and not the dugout.  Pressure gets to the best coaches in the world, take Arsene Wenger of Arsenal for instance, it is how pressure is being managed that is the hallmark of a good coach.  For Oliseh, the jury is still out.
Sunday Oliseh’ emergence as the head coach of the Super Coach was given more of an applause than a frown by the notorious Nigerian media.  The media appear to be taken with the Sunday Oliseh project.  

It is cheerfully strange that the Nigerian media are happy with an indigenous coach.  Previous Nigerian coaches were unanimously deemed as insufficient.  Perhaps, Sunday Oliseh’s C.V speaks for him.  For what Oliseh lacks in football experience, he enjoys in an impressive C.V which boasts of a UEFA pro license certificate, regarded as the highest coaching certificate in the world.  Oliseh is also a member of the FIFA technical study committee and worked at the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil in a technical capacity.  Sunday Oliseh is the most qualified Nigerian coach in the world and he speaks like one.  The Nigerian media love him and that is a big plus.

When Oliseh speaks, he stamps his authority. “Any Nigerian playe that is not playing for a top fight club in Europe would not get a lace in the national team.”  

“I will invite players based on the opposition we are facing and players that would suit the formation.  We won’t play the same formation against Spain and Brazil as we would against a minor team – even though there are no minors in football anymore.”

This approach is now and unlike the gung ho manner in which players were invited and contrary to Stephen Keshi’s obsession with the archaic redundant and predictable 4 – 2 – 2.  Sunday Oliseh plans to return Nigerian football back to its samba style roots which propelled it up to 5th in the FIFA world rankings.  If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.  Football is a very strange game.  It is left to be seen if the footballers Nigeria posses right now can adapt to his style and follow his instructions to the latter.  With such lazy players as Mikel Obi, who has lost all his gifts as an attack minded player still being deployed as a 10 for country, who holds on the ball too long and when tackled refuses to bounce up, who never tracks back when he loses and ball, who stubbornly and repeatedly fails to shield the defence line, still holding rank in the Super Eagles midfield, it is yet to be seen how Oliseh would discipline his players and not create bad blood.  A modern day coach is no longer just a tactician, there is much more to it as Sunday Oliseh is about to see.

Nigerian football has driven up a rough hill and if there are no positive changes, its vehicle would drive backwards as we are beginning to see in our play.  Nigeria failed to qualify and thereby  defend the African Cup of Nations title in Equatorial Guinea, losing to lowly Congo in Calabar.  It was shameful.  It was disgraceful.  It was embarrassing.  An embarrassment still reflected in our latest FIFA ranking of 57th in the world and 10th in Africa, behind countries like Congo, Senegal and Cape Verde.  Even Cape Verde!

Our football is no longer the best in Africa and we must accept that fact if we are to rebuild.  Nigerian players are playing in all sorts of leagues all over the world.  Leagues that are nowhere near the elite.  The few that play for top clubs like Chelsea, are sitting on the bench.  The top three clubs in the top five leagues in the world.  The English Premiership, Spanish La-Liga, German Bundesliga and French championate have no Nigerians in their team list.  Little wonder we play with the mentality of relegation threatened European club sides.  We should be better and Sunday Oliseh promises a new era.  A revival.  While this would be welcomed, it remains to be seen if Sunday Oliseh is the man to trigger the change.  He starts little, hopefully he would end big.