A former assistant coach of the Nigerian nationwide soccer group, Sylvanus Okpala, has voiced his opinion on the present state of Nigerian soccer and the current controversies surrounding the group.
Okpala, in an interview with PUNCH Online on Saturday, emphasised the necessity for homegrown options to the nation’s soccer challenges.
“Nigeria are going to Mount Kilimanjaro looking for a coach. They are going to Mount Everest looking for the coach, but the coaches that will solve Nigerian football problem for now are under their feet here in Nigeria,” Okpala acknowledged.
He added, “If they ask me today, I will select myself including four other coaches, and we will give Nigeria what they want here in Nigeria.”
He added that there’s nonetheless an opportunity for the nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, emphasising the significance of the Super Eagles securing qualification.
“Nigeria still has a chance to qualify for the World Cup. There’s no doubt about that one. Anybody that takes over and doesn’t qualify for the World Cup has failed because we need to go to the next World Cup and I tell you if we don’t go to the next World Cup, there will be a lot of crisis in Nigerian football,” he mentioned.
Addressing the sooner controversy involving Victor Osimhen and the ex-national group coach, Okpala criticised each events for his or her dealing with of the scenario.
He mentioned, “Osimhen made some mistakes, but there are some mistakes also somewhere too.”
Okpala, who received the AFCON title in 1980 as a participant and as an assistant coach in 2013, emphasised that coaches shouldn’t publicly criticise their gamers, stating, “A coach does not need to criticise his players in public. It’s never done. Any good coach, you don’t criticise (your players) whether you win or you lose.”
This is coming after former coach Finidi George was quoted to have mentioned he can’t beg Osimhen to play for the nationwide group after the participant withdrew from their final two 2026 World Cup qualifiers as a result of harm in June.
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Speaking additional, Okpala additionally dismissed claims that Nigerian gamers don’t respect native coaches.
He identified that respect is just not about race however about professionalism and man-management.
Reflecting on his time with the nationwide group, Okpala shared insights into participant administration.
He talked about Mikel Obi for example of a consummate skilled, saying, “Mikel was the best professional in our team, my own personal opinion, my own personal view from what I saw.”
Okpala additionally supplied recommendation for future teaching appointments, suggesting that new coaches ought to prioritise assembly with gamers individually to debate methods and expectations.
“The first step I had expected him (Finidi) to take was to travel and meet with the boys,” he mentioned.
Meanwhile, after a dismal begin to the marketing campaign, the NFF has not wavered in its resolve to call a international coach as a part of its plan to resurrect Nigeria’s desires of constructing it to the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Herve Renard, Tom Saintfiet, and former Mali coach Eric Chelle are mentioned to have made the NFF’s shortlist of coaches.
Herve Renard is taken into account the front-runner among the many contenders due to his information, together with successful the African Cup of Nations with each Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire.
Additionally, Renard led Saudi Arabia to the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and he has proven his want to guide one other nation to the worldwide enviornment in 2026.