Former Super Eagles coach and player Sunday Oliseh has expressed strong opposition to appointing a foreign manager to lead Nigeria’s senior national football team, arguing that qualified Nigerian coaches are being overlooked.
Speaking on Channels Sports on Sunday, Oliseh criticised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for handing the team over to Eric Chelle, a French-born former Mali international. Chelle was appointed in January to replace Augustine Eguavoen, who had been serving as interim coach.
“I am totally against having that role not being given to a Nigerian because we have qualified Nigerians who can do that job,” Oliseh stated.
Since taking charge, Chelle has led the Super Eagles through five matches, achieving three wins and two draws without a defeat. Despite this unbeaten record, Oliseh questioned the need for a foreign coach, highlighting his own tenure and track record in talent spotting.
“When you talk about the defensive midfield role, I was the one who introduced Wilfred Ndidi. At the same time, I brought in Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho and gave them their first call-ups because they had the quality,” he said.
Oliseh also criticised what he called irregularities in the team’s leadership setup, particularly appointing captains who do not regularly feature on the pitch.
“This, I want to call an anomaly, and it began when we started having captains sitting on the bench. You can’t have that—you can’t have your captain sitting on the bench,” he said. “In other words, you are saying it is an assistant who is leading the team. The Super Eagles’ captaincy is the most important role in Nigerian football.”
Highlighting the crucial nature of the defensive midfield position, Oliseh praised Ndidi’s abilities but stressed the importance of discipline and tactical clarity.
“If you are going to play that role, you have to be disciplined; secondly, you must have clear-cut instructions laid out. That is why a tactician is very important,” he explained.
“For me, it’s one of the most vital roles in football. You are the umbrella of the defenders,” he added.
