In
order to clear a lot of falsehood that has been making the rounds in
sections of the media following the resignation of Coach Sunday Oliseh,
the Nigeria Football Federation has decided to make a statement
regarding events relating to the employment and resignation of the Super
Eagles Coach.
First
of all, the NFF would like to state that contrary to what few members
of the media would have Nigerians believe, the appointment of Mr. Sunday Oliseh
as Head Coach of the Super Eagles was thoroughly thought-through; it
went through a meeting between himself and the Technical Committee and
was ultimately approved by the entire Executive Committee of the NFF.
The NFF had the best of intentions in hiring Mr. Sunday Oliseh,
and despite the misgivings about his temperament (he himself alluded to
this at his unveiling) he was seen as a bright young Coach able to take
the Super Eagles to new heights. This view was premised on his resume,
(having played in various countries around the world), his undoubted
football knowledge and his currency of ideas (being a respected former
Super Eagles Captain and a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group).
The
fact that from Mr. Oliseh's perspective, the relationship had gone so
awry to the extent that he resigned his appointment is unfortunate
because despite the temporary financial difficulties which crept into
the relationship in the last 4 (four) months or thereabouts, the NFF
Executive Board with its penchant for long term planning took a long
term view of his appointment and remains confident that with a little
more patience on the part of the Coach, things would have turned around
for the better in the long run.
The
NFF seizes the opportunity to apologise to Nigerians for the situation
that we, through no fault of ours, find ourselves, but assures the
teeming Super Eagles supporters that we shall patriotically remain
committed to the success of the team. This is already evidenced by the
swiftness with which we have reconstituted the coaching crew and
received the assurances of the patriotism of the Super Eagles players
who have vowed to fight for the Nigerian flag and spirit, and ensure
that not only do we qualify for the African Nations Cup but also that
our long term goals are not derailed.
The NFF gives the foregoing assurances despite the circumstance which has arisen with the untimely resignation of Coach Sunday Oliseh
and despite the fact that the decision was taken unilaterally without
discussion with NFF or any of its officials or board members, without
giving the requisite 1 (one) months notice as stipulated in his contract
immediately after he was paid his arrears of salary and housing
allowance after his request to travel across Europe to visit potential
call ups for the matches against Egypt was approved by the President of
the NFF and; despite the fact that we have crucial qualifying matches to
play next month
With regard to the various allegations made against the NFF by Mr. Sunday Oliseh
in his letter of resignation and in the media, the NFF as a responsible
organisation feels the need to this once respond to those allegations
as follows, and thereafter continue with the job at hand without any
further distractions:
Mr. Sunday Oliseh
in his letter of resignation and in various reports has talked about
not being respected, and not getting the support of the NFF. The NFF
categorically denies these allegations and notes that from the time of
his employment the NFF had always shown him respect which,
unfortunately, not always reciprocated.
In
order to encourage him, to exhibit an intention to put the issue of
financial disagreements with coaches behind the Federation and to help
the new Coach quickly settle down, the NFF proceeded to pay him three
months’ salary in advance – something that had never happened previously
in Nigeria football.
The
NFF introduced him to our principal partners/sponsors in order to show
that the Federation had total regard for and was fully supporting its
coach. The President thereafter reiterated the vision of the NFF board
and its mandate to the new coach to build a new and vibrant team that
the Government and people of this country would be proud of. The NFF has
since then allowed him to carry on his duties without interference. The
NFF also purchased for Mr. Oliseh a brand new car to ease his movement
locally whenever he was in Nigeria.
With
regard to the allegation that he was not supported, it is pertinent to
note that Mr. Oliseh himself had on numerous occasions expressed
gratitude for the support he had received from the NFF and in particular
from the NFF President and Vice Presidents. The NFF makes bold to say
that he has been supported throughout his short tenure as the Super
Eagles coach. Not only have his requests and choice of training camps
been accepted, his choice of players have never been interfered with,
his choice of venues have all but once been accepted and even where not
accepted, an explanation was promptly given which was duly appreciated
and accepted by the coach.
Only
a few minutes before sending an email intimating the NFF of his
resignation, Mr. Oliseh had written a mail to the NFF President about
his trip across Europe to see players, which the NFF President had
approved the day before.
For
the competitive matches against Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Swaziland
that the Super Eagles played away from home under Coach Oliseh, the NFF
despite its financial constraints flew the team by chartered aircraft at
the request of the coach.
It
is pertinent to note also that, despite its financial constraints, the
NFF acceded to Coach Oliseh's insistence on camping the CHAN team in
South Africa. His show of appreciation was to go on air to talk about
spending his money to buy food for the team in South Africa. The truth
is that the team stayed at a world -class facility where buffet feeding
had been arranged. Coach Oliseh opted to buy Nigerian food for the
players on two (2) occasions, without alerting the NFF or the hotel
management. Food meant for the team on those two occasions went to
waste.
In
support of Coach Oliseh and in a bid to give him some confidence
regarding the issue of finance, the NFF top echelon traveled to Rwanda
at their own expense along with the Minister of Youth and Sports, in
order that the coach and the team would have the opportunity of hearing
first-hand from the Minister the challenges the NFF was facing with
regards to funds. The Minister told the team clearly that the financial
problems were not the fault of the NFF and promised to do his utmost to
resolve it forthwith.
After
the CHAN championships in Rwanda, the Technical Committee requested for
the usual technical report of the Championship but Coach Oliseh wrote a
terse email back to the secretary of that committee stating that he did
not report to them.
Even
though by the terms of his contract he was obliged to return to Nigeria
at least 2 weeks to any Super Eagles match and is obliged to watch our
domestic league matches from time to time, one can count how many local
league matches he has watched and one can point out that he did not
return to Nigeria before he went to the CHAN championship on the grounds
that he was ill. Yet, he went to South Africa and Rwanda but did not
return with the team to Nigeria
The
NFF has accommodated these only in support of the ultimate success of
the coach and the team. On resumption, Coach Oliseh wanted to sack the
entire backroom staff of the Super Eagles including the media officer
saying that he could not work with them. A potentially messy situation
was aborted by the firm position of the General Secretary and the
President on the matter. The coach virtually tore the team apart with
his impulsive style of man management, for example if not for the way
the NFF President and Vice Presidents handled the matter, his
disagreement with erstwhile captain Vincent Enyeama would have seen all
the senior players quit the Super Eagles.
Contrary
to the terms of his contract, Coach Oliseh went on air several times to
talk about the NFF’s finances and in a derogatory manner. He went on
air to insult Nigerians in what is now known as his ‘YouTube rant’
wherein he made serious allegations against the Nigeria media, which he
has failed to substantiate. In it, he also noted that he didn't want the
job of the Super Eagles Chief Coach but was prevailed upon to accept
it.
From
the foregoing, it is clear that without claiming to be perfect and
working under considerable financial difficulties, not only did the NFF
support Mr. Sunday Oliseh
in his capacity as Chief Coach of Super Eagles, it actually showed lots
of restraint in the face of aggravated impulsive behaviour by the coach
bordering in some cases on insubordination.
In closing this Statement there are a few things we must point out:
We
find it strange though that, after complaints of non -payment,
Mr.Oliseh waited to receive monies owed him before resigning. Two days
before his resignation, he had passionately appealed that we unite as
one force to fight the battle on the football field with the Egyptian
national team. We had no idea he was selling a dummy.
For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Sunday Oliseh RESIGNED and was not SACKED. We bear no grudges against the coach and wish him well in his future endeavours.
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