Former Flying Eagles coach John Sam Obuh has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to prioritize proper technical reviews after international tournaments rather than resorting to knee-jerk reactions such as sacking coacheFormer Flying Eagles coach John Sam Obuh has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to prioritize proper technical reviews after international tournaments rather than resorting to knee-jerk reactions such as sacking coaches.s.
Speaking in the wake of Nigeria’s 1-0 defeat to Norway in their U20 World Cup opener, Obuh stressed that one of the reasons Nigerian football continues to recycle the same problems is the failure to evaluate performances properly. He said coaches are mandated to submit technical reports after competitions, but these reports are often ignored.
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“After every competition, coaches are required to submit their technical reports, usually with inputs from the NFF and the technical director,” Obuh explained. “The problem is that in recent years, these reports have not been properly followed. Instead of reviewing the issues and fixing them, we often see coaches dismissed without any serious evaluation. That is not how to build long-term success.”
Obuh, who led the Flying Eagles to the 2011 FIFA U20 World Cup quarterfinals, argued that the current setbacks should serve as an opportunity to rethink the approach. “The Flying Eagles lost narrowly to Norway, but we saw the same challenges that have haunted Nigerian teams for years—missed chances, defensive lapses, and poor game management. These are things that can be corrected, but only if we take evaluation seriously.”
He criticized the tendency to discard entire projects after a single poor tournament. ”Football development is about continuity. If you sack every coach after a loss without studying their report, you never grow. You keep starting afresh every time, and that is why Nigerian football has struggled to progress at youth level.”
Obuh concluded by calling for calm and patience with Aliyu Zubairu’s current squad. ”These boys are talented. With the right adjustments and long-term planning, they can still achieve something in this tournament and beyond.”
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