Nigerian Coaches Cannot Handle Eagles, Says Mastoroudes

John Mastoroudes

While some indigenous coaches, including interim Super Eagles’ Coach, Salisu Yusuf, have applied for the vacant senior national team job, veteran football administrator, John Mastoroudes, has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to go for a foreign manager.

The Guardian Nigeria report continues:

His reason is that the indigenous coaches lack the international pedigree needed for the position and so they cannot be considered seriously for the job.

Mastoroudes was a member of the Presidential Task Force charged with the objective of ensuring the Super Eagles qualified for the first World Cup on African soil in 2010.

According to footballlive.ng, the seasoned administrator wants the NFF to hire a foreign coach who is capable of earning the players’ respect. There has been question marks on the ability of Nigerian coaches to control the foreign-based players in the national team, with some going as far as accusing the local coaches of not having the charisma to command the respect of the players.

But proponents of local coaches for the Super Eagles point at the late Stephen Keshi’s achievements with the team to buttress that indigenous coaches when well motivated could hold their own against their foreign counterparts.

Stephen Keshi led the Eagles to their third African Nations Cup victory in South Africa in 2013, and also took the team to the second round of the Brazil 2013 World Cup. These are feats no other coach, indigenous or foreign, has surpassed since Nigeria started playing international football.