A former assistant coach of the Nigerian nationwide soccer crew, Sylvanus Okpala, has voiced his opinion on the present state of Nigerian soccer and the current controversies surrounding the crew.
Okpala, in an interview with PUNCH On-line on Saturday, emphasised the necessity for homegrown options to the nation’s soccer challenges.
“Nigeria are going to Mount Kilimanjaro searching for a coach. They will Mount Everest searching for the coach, however the coaches that can resolve Nigerian soccer drawback for now are underneath their ft right here in Nigeria,” Okpala said.
He added, “In the event that they ask me at this time, I’ll choose myself together with 4 different coaches, and we’ll give Nigeria what they need right here in Nigeria.”
He added that there’s nonetheless an opportunity for the nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, emphasising the significance of the Tremendous Eagles securing qualification.
“Nigeria nonetheless has an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup. There’s little doubt about that one. Anyone that takes over and doesn’t qualify for the World Cup has failed as a result of we have to go to the following World Cup and I let you know if we don’t go to the following World Cup, there will likely be a whole lot of disaster in Nigerian soccer,” he stated.
Addressing the sooner controversy involving Victor Osimhen and the ex-national crew coach, Okpala criticised each events for his or her dealing with of the state of affairs.
He stated, “Osimhen made some errors, however there are some errors additionally someplace too.”
Okpala, who received the AFCON title in 1980 as a participant and as an assistant coach in 2013, emphasised that coaches shouldn’t publicly criticise their gamers, stating, “A coach doesn’t have to criticise his gamers in public. It’s by no means performed. Any good coach, you don’t criticise (your gamers) whether or not you win otherwise you lose.”
That is coming after former coach Finidi George was quoted to have stated he can’t beg Osimhen to play for the nationwide crew after the participant withdrew from their final two 2026 World Cup qualifiers because of harm in June.
Talking additional, Okpala additionally dismissed claims that Nigerian gamers don’t respect native coaches.
He identified that respect just isn’t about race however about professionalism and man-management.
Reflecting on his time with the nationwide crew, Okpala shared insights into participant administration.
He talked about Mikel Obi for instance of a consummate skilled, saying, “Mikel was the very best skilled in our crew, my very own private opinion, my very own private view from what I noticed.”
Okpala additionally supplied recommendation for future teaching appointments, suggesting that new coaches ought to prioritise assembly with gamers individually to debate methods and expectations.
“Step one I had anticipated him (Finidi) to take was to journey and meet with the boys,” he stated.
In the meantime, after a dismal begin to the marketing campaign, the NFF has not wavered in its resolve to call a international coach as a part of its plan to resurrect Nigeria’s desires of creating it to the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Herve Renard, Tom Saintfiet, and former Mali coach Eric Chelle are stated to have made the NFF’s shortlist of coaches.
Herve Renard is taken into account the front-runner among the many contenders due to his data, together with profitable the African Cup of Nations with each Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire.
Moreover, Renard led Saudi Arabia to the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and he has proven his need to guide one other nation to the worldwide area in 2026.
