Amodu eats humble pie – But NFF’s search for foreign coach continues

 It will be recalled that after its emergency meeting of February 5 in Abuja, the Nigeria Football Federation, directed its technical committee to immediately commence the process of hiring a foreign coach to lead the national team to the World Cup in South Africa. It was the same emergency meeting that approved the demotion of […]

 It will be recalled that after its emergency meeting of February 5 in Abuja, the Nigeria Football Federation, directed its technical committee to immediately commence the process of hiring a foreign coach to lead the national team to the World Cup in South Africa. It was the same emergency meeting that approved the demotion of the Edo born football tactician.

His demotion to the home based Eagles obviously did not go down well with the coach who had dared his employers in Angola during a press conference. It is said he thoroughly tongue lashed members of the Presidential Task Force on Eagles for having the temerity to stage a ‘coup’ against him by engaging in secret search for his replacement. According to reports, an aggrieved Shaibu made uncomplimentary remarks about members of the PTF because he saw the writing on the wall as far as his position as chief coach was concerned.

It was reported that he said members of the committee were bent on hiring a foreign coach to replace him because of their inferiority complex. Such comments certainly eroded what was left of the strained relationship between the coach, the PTF and even the NFF that employed him against all wise counsel.

Thus, it was no surprise that at the end of its meeting in Abuja, the NFF did not need any prodding to relieve Amodu of his position even as he had delivered on the mandate given to him by the football federation. He was to reach at least the last eight in Angola and going by the team’s final placing, it can be said he surpassed NFF’s expectations.

But even if his employers were satisfied, Nigerians were not impressed and that accounted for the cat calls which compelled the NFF to demote the coach and in addition comply with the wishes of the majority by setting in motion the machinery for employment of a foreign coach.

Going by his antecedents when it has to do with his pride, most observers concluded the coach will not descend so low to handle local players he had considered too inconsequential for him to include in his team to Angola.

When days after his demotion rolled into weeks without the coach stepping forward to accept his new responsibility, those who had said he will not accept the ‘degrading’ job concluded Amodu was gone for good.

However in a sudden twist towards the end of the week, the coach re-surfaced in Lagos where he addressed a press conference to eat his vomit. It is on record what he said in Angola about his job and Nigerian football authorities. Consequently, his u-turn came to many as a surprise.

He told a bewildered press that he has accepted Eagles Team B job because it was clearly spelt out in his contract that he would have to concentrate on the team anytime a foreign coach is hired to take charge of the senior national team A.

“It is part of the contract I signed with the federation to work under a foreign coach,” promising to work with any one the federation eventually hires for the World Cup.

“From this contract, the NFF has not done anything contrary to the agreement I had with them. The team B is my idea, I started it, and the idea was to get an alternative team for the national team,” he said.

“Team B was part of my responsibility as Super Eagles Head Coach. There is no issue of demotion or sack.”

From the above statement, it is evident that what Amodu did is tantamount to a sinking man trying to hold onto something in order to survive. Every coach wants World Cup experience. He lost the opportunity in 2002 when Chief Onigninde was called in at the last hour to take the Eagles to Korea/Japan. Since lightening is not supposed to strike twice in the same place, the coach has chosen to eat the humble pie in order to be part of the team’s technical crew to South Africa.

What Amodu has done is commendable as arrogance and insubordination wouldn’t have taken him anywhere. As laudable as his sudden humility and submissiveness to constituted authority is, it does not remove the clarity in the fact that Eagles need a foreign coach who will come and lead the team to the World Cup even if it will amount to using fire brigade approach.

Members of the Nigeria Football Federation and the technical committee of NFF on Thursday began the screening of shortlisted coaches for Amodu’s job. The final interview that will put forth a new coach for the team will be held on February 26 in Abuja.