I don’t give room for players to seduce me – Flamingoes coach, Nyikyu

Coach how far have you gone in your search for players who would represent Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA women U-17 World Cup in Costa Rica?Well I thank God for a promising start. We had two weeks screening and now the players are on recess. Definitely, the screening is not over. By the time we […]

Coach how far have you gone in your search for players who would represent Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA women U-17 World Cup in Costa Rica?
Well I thank God for a promising start. We had two weeks screening and now the players are on recess. Definitely, the screening is not over. By the time we resume camp again we shall give more players the opportunity to stake claims for shirts. The reason is that if you are thinking that you have got the best players, by the time you try more, you would realise that there are still better ones outside that you did not see. Any player who is recommended to us would be given a chance to come and prove herself. That is how we can go about it. It is not possible for us to see all the good players that are scattered across the country. So we welcome good recommendations.
How are you going to cope with the pressure which would certainly accompany such recommendations?
I am not envisaging any problem with this. If a player is recommended and she is not good enough, nobody should feel we purposely refused to take such a player. There is no coach who will intentionally turn down a good player. What we want to do is to screen more players in order to raise a formidable team for Nigeria.
Nigeria has just won the male U-17 World Cup. How confident are you that the Flamingoes will replicate such performance next year?
I know that with the feat recorded by the Golden Eaglets, expectations will be really high but this is not new to me and my colleagues. Nigerian national teams have always done very well at youth championships and we are also aiming high. However, at this level of preparation, it is definitely too early to make promises. We are working hard and at the appropriate time, we shall see what God has for the nation.
But from what you have done so far, can you say you have already identified some talented players who would do the nation proud?
Of course, from what I have seen, by the special grace of God, we would have a team that can play well and do the country proud. We have identified some players who are good enough to represent this country but I do not want to raise too much hope for now. It is true we have identified some talented players but we are looking for the best.
Having coached male football before what can you say is the difference between handling male and female players?
There is no serious difference. The only difference is that female players are somehow weaker and fragile. Apart from that anything you can do with the male players to succeed, female players can equally do it. However, it all depends on how you go about things. If you are with the male, whatever you plan to do can be done according to schedule but with the female it sometimes does not go that way because they are slow in catching up. You may have to take it gradually.
From what you have said, female football coaches would need a lot of patience and tact to handle female teams?
Exactly, you need a lot of patience to coach females. To start with their attitude to work is a challenge. They may easily catch up with playing but their attitude off the field is the problem. You have to be patient with them because you can talk harshly to a male player and he will understand with you, but with the female it can’t work that way’. Sometimes you have to pet and cajole them to do what you want done. By the time you shout at one or two players, they may easily be frightened or feel rejected. You have to be diplomatic in dealing with female players.
In female football it is common to hear stuffs like ‘I am being victimised because I refused his love advances’. Have you suffered such ‘blackmail’ before?
I have never experienced that and I don’t pray to experience it. Moreover, I do not have time for such things. Even when I am coaching a male team, I do my things on merit. I do not bring sentiments into my job. I don’t look at any of them as my brother, son, or friend. If you play well, you play well and I pick you. It is the same with the female. If you play well, I pick you. I don’t want to know where you come from. If you are a good player, I will give you a chance to play. If I am called that so and so player is good and she happens to be good, she will be given a chance. Before now, I have been assistant coach of the Super Falcons but I have never experienced anything like that. I cannot compromise my integrity and professionalism.
You mean since you started coaching female football, you have never been seduced by any female player?
No, never!, I don’t for pray such an experience or what people call temptation. I cannot be tempted because I don’t even imagine such a thing happening. I only pray to have good players who will give me and the country results. I concentrate on my assignment so that one day everybody will say your girls are doing well. That is all I want. Anything that is more than that I am not ready for it. If you have the opportunity to show what you have by exhibiting good work or good product, you don’t go messing around with girls young enough to be your daughters. The only thing that brings problems is that when it is glaring that a player is not good and you are forcing her on the team that is when people will begin to suspect you. I don’t give players the room to seduce me. I give room for players to prove on the field that they deserve to play.
You have been very consistent in your coaching career. Looking back, how fulfilled are you?
This is one thing I always praise God for. It is not every coach that has been busy all seasons. From 2006 that I started club coaching up to today, I have never stayed off season. I can only give God the glory because he is the one who is doing it for me. What I try to do is to work hard and achieve results so as to gain more recommendation from people. This is why I have worked continuously and successfully through the years.
Could describe your happiest moment as a coach?
Well my happiest moment came when I was handing the National U-13 team. In 2010 we attended the Barclay Premier League competition in London and one scout from Manchester City came to me and said coach, I have seen youthful boys with individual talents but I have not seen a group like this that play good football as a team. That means he thought they can only be good as individuals but the way my boys were playing as a cohesive team surprised him. So my happiest moment is when I am with the younger ones. When I sit on the bench and watch them play, it makes me very happy. They do exactly what you ask them to do.
So you tutored some of the victorious Golden Eaglets?
Yes, there are at least seven members of that same National u-13 team that are members of the Coach Manu Garba Eaglets. Kelechi Iheanacho, Eze Chidera, he was our highest goal scorer in London, Salisu who was my captain and Obasi also is a product of the team. There is also Habeeb Makanjuola, the Chelsea lad.  There are about six or seven of them in the Eaglets.
So how happy are you with the achievement of the Golden Eaglets?
Of course, I am happy with the achievement of the team not necessarily because they have succeeded but I am happy with the way the players were used. The technical crew led by Manu Garba made good use of the talents at its disposal. I congratulate the coaches. Each time I watched the boys, I was very happy.