Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh
The new Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, spoke exclusively with FRIDAY OLOKOR at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja shortly after he was unveiled as Nigeria coach on Wednesday
How did this current journey with the Super Eagles start?
It started like the journey of any other coach; I was approached with the job after it became vacant, and after initial reservations, we discussed and I accepted the offer.
Was the Nigeria Football Federation in touch with you over a long period or were you contacted only recently?
No, it was not a long process; it was after the position became vacant that they contacted me and we spoke.
Nigerians were made to believe that you were not interested in this job. What has informed your decision to accept it now?
It is true, and I must say that those that are now in charge of the NFF showed me a different approach in the way they went about it. They were in agreement that I should give my own conditions and we talk about them and agreed. That informed my change of mind.
The Super Eagles have dropped in the FIFA ranking and had failed to qualify for the last Africa Cup of Nations. Won’t you be under pressure in this situation?
Well, there is always pressure when you are doing anything with top-level football.
What are your immediate plans for the Eagles?
My plan is first to assemble a credible team and then try to hopefully pass on my ideas unto the team in a way that will make us successful.
…And your projections?
I don’t have projections; I just have an ambition to make it better than it was before I came.
You were reported to have said Nigerians should not see you as a messiah. Why?
I don’t want anybody to think I will come and wave a magic wand, and all of a sudden we will start winning and we will start flying. If that happens anyway, I won’t refuse it. But what I am just trying to say is that it is going to be a difficult task and we will do our best.
NFF officials have said you are not just going to manage the Eagles but help rebuild the entire football system. Is this not going to be a serious challenge, going by what happened in the past?
It is a huge challenge. What one had to do is to participate in the outlining and try to make out suggestions. But the execution of those outlines and the organisations are not left to me. That, I will try more to execute with the responsibilities I have with the Super Eagles.
Some domestic league players got places in the Eagles’ main squad under Stephen Keshi. What would be their fate?
I will do it in my own way. That is, if a player is good enough, we will get him invited to camp. If he is good enough and better than anybody who is overseas-based, he will play.
One of the factors inhibiting the growth of Nigerian football is the lack of quality players. How do you intend to close this gap?
What I intend to do is to try and get quality players for the team and hopefully, it will be like a catalyst that will spur the others to play in a certain manner and get us in the right direction.
One of the issues, you promised to address is lateness to camp and indiscipline. How do you intend to achieve that?
If you are late and exhibit indiscipline, you don’t play.
Can you be specific on the level of indiscipline in the team?
It has not happened yet; why not wait.
There have been cases of players disobeying authorities.
Look, I am not going to judge a player or any man for something he did or how he was before I came in contact with him. I will only judge players or people or try to challenge them on what they do when we start working together. So I can’t tell you if a player jumps from the ceiling, I will do anything because I don’t know yet.
Do we expect that you will reproduce the 1994 squad?
Well, look, my parents gave birth to six kids. We are five different boys, we have a lot of similarities and we also have what makes us different. If it is so for the children of same parents, how is it possible that a nation as big as ours will produce another generation like that of 1994 again? We will try, but it is going to be definitely different, may be less good. But you can’t produce the same team.
Can we say the era of foreign coaches is over with your appointment?
Well, it is up to me to do well. I’m determined to get the best and give myself the best. But I think that just as the foreign teams hardly ever give opportunities to Africans or Nigerians to coach, if we don’t give opportunities to our coaches, we will never have coaches.
In 2002, you missed in action after helping Nigeria qualify for the World Cup. I guess that was a painful aspect of your career.
I think it is probably because of 2002 that I am here today. After what happened, people were actually made to believe wrong things and were led along the wrong lines. And eventually, Nigerians being as smart as they are understood what really happened. So that was probably part of the clamour for my return.
How are you going to contend with the politics in the NFF?
There is nothing with contention; I just want to do my job. We have made out the guidelines, which is call the contract. And from my side, we are going to follow it.
Nigerians are worried that our local league matches are not selling.
I have a feeling that it will get better because, as you see, teams are beginning to win away games. Those are signs, and it will get better.
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