NFF replaces Oliseh with Siasia

The Nigeria Football Federation has re-appointed Samson Siasia as coach of the Super Eagles following the resignation of Sunday Oliseh on Friday.

Siasia, whose contract as Eagles coach was terminated in October 2011 following the failure of the team to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, will be assisted by Salisu Yusuf, who was assistant coach to Oliseh, Emmanuel Amuneke, who coached the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winners, and a former Eagles goalkeeper, Alloy Agu, with their first assignment being the two-legged 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Egypt.

The appointment was announced after the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, and other top members of the board of the federation, who were in Zurich, Switzerland for the FIFA congress, approved the recommendation of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, who held an emergency meeting on Friday.

A statement by the NFF noted that Yusuf and Agu, who worked with Oliseh, are expected to serve as the bridge between the new coach and the team.

Siasia and Amuneke are among few ex-Nigeria internationals, who boast impressive track record in coaching.

Amuneke, who has a UEFA Pro Licence, was assistant to Manu Garba when the Nigeria U-17 squad won a fourth FIFA World Cup title in 2013, and then headed the crew that successfully defended the trophy last year.

Siasia on the other hand, steered the Nigeria U-20 team to the African title in 2005 and led the team to finish runners-up at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in The Netherlands the same year.

He also led the U-23 team to win silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and in 2015 he led the U-23 to win the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal and qualified Nigeria forthe Olympics.

The Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Chris Green, said the new coaching crew has the mandate to “reach out to the very best Nigerian players anywhere. The matches against Egypt would not be picnics and we need our very best for those contests.”

Earlier, the spokesman of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, told our correspondent that the federation was shocked and disappointed by Oliseh’s resignation and had decided to install a new coaching crew immediately to continue the Eagles’ preparations for the games against Egypt.

Olajire said, “We were shocked and disappointment like other Nigerians when we heard of Oliseh’s resignation. He opted to disappoint us at a most crucial period but we cannot be crying over spilled milk. We have two matches at hand and it is important that we go ahead with the arrangement that we have made and put somebody in place to oversee that double header.

“We were shocked that the person we expected to understand the financial challenges we are facing failed to do so. It’s a shame that Oliseh went to social media to announce his resignation and also did so in such a critical period as this. It calls to question his sense of responsibility and his patriotism.”
Siasia and Amunike
Siasia and Amunike

Contrary to claims by Oliseh that he was being owed wages and did not receive support from the NFF, officials of the federation stated on Friday that Oliseh was paid the sum of N20m this week as his salaries for three months (December 2015, January and February) and half-year house rent for July, when he was appointed, to December 2015.

“The only money he is being owed is the match bonus for the World Cup qualifier against Swaziland in Port Harcourt in November 2015, which the NFF had promised to pay players and officials on resumption of camping for the matches against Egypt,” Olajire said.