Saintfiet unperturbed by criticisms

But there has been news that the job should have been given, if at all to a more qualified person. Saintfiet himself has come out to say that he is fit for the job and will succeed in it. “It doesn’t matter where you worked before, it doesn’t matter the age or the rich CV […]

But there has been news that the job should have been given, if at all to a more qualified person. Saintfiet himself has come out to say that he is fit for the job and will succeed in it.

“It doesn’t matter where you worked before, it doesn’t matter the age or the rich CV you have, “ Sainfiet told the BBC.

“It’s the quality you have and the determination and the way you want to work together and the knowledge.”

A former coach in Ethiopia and Namibia, Saintfiet said his role is only advisory as he will be working with things that are already on ground. “I’m very convinced that there are a lot of quality coaches in Nigeria.

“My main role will be to assist and advise the local coaches who are there [already], to create the circumstances, the structure and the ideas to reach our goals.

“Nigeria has to be at the big tournaments and want to win things. My role will be to assist the coaches who are there to work together and reach our goals.”

The goals spelt out in his contract are yet to be disclosed but may include training for local league coaches and helping Nigeria qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“I’m looking forward to the task, I’m not losing sleep, I know my qualities, I’ve proved in the countries that I’ve worked that I can do a very good job and that I know African football.”

He also expects challenges and the continued casting of aspersions on his qualification for the job but is focused on making it work – both for himself, the NFF and in tandem with the Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi.

“I expect such questions, but let’s not forget that the big names who worked in the last years in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria for the World Cup, they under-performed and even after that,” he pointed out.

“I’m a young boy, I’m 39 with 15 years of experience as a coach, but that shows that I have some quality and I know African football very well.

“I would like to work with them to take Nigerian football back to the big level and make them one of the big nations again in world football,” Saintfiet concluded.