A former head coach of Heartland of Owerri and Abia Warriors of Umuahia, Chijioke Gabriel Osuagwu has come out with a startling suggestion that the secretariat of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) must be relocated to Lagos for meaningful revival of the game to be achieved.
Sports247 reports that, while making his view known against the backdrop of ongoing reforms in the Nigerian football sector launched by National Sports Commission (NSC), Osuagwu opined that dwindling fortunes hit the country after the secretariat moved to Abuja.
Osuagwu, who handled the Lagos-based trio of Stationery Storss, Flaming Flamingoes and AS Racines at various levels of the domestic league, reflected on Nigeria’s past years of glory in the round leather game and submitted that the derth of indigenous talent is now a huge setback.
The former handler of Busador FC of Umuko and Police Machine of Owerri also recounted how the like of Nwankwo Kanu, Mobi Operaku, Teslim Fatusi and others were produced for the youth national teams during the days of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) in Lagos.
He added that many top Nigerian players of the past were produced in the domestic league, but the situation changed to an over reliance on talents born abroad following a shift in focus from football matters that revolve around Lagos as the centre of attraction.
The veteran tactician, who handled players like Ayo Makinwa, Kazeem Ayila, Ifeanyi Emeghara and Femi Ajilore while they were kids in Lagos, stressed that there is a need for structural location of the NFF before a realistic revvial of the game can be achieved in the country.
Osuagwu, who aired his views in an article he posted on various WhatsApp groups, added at length: “The failure of Nigerian Football Federation began ever since the football house was relocated to Abuja, where certain people took the advantage by doing their Kangaroo selections.
“They’ve done it for coaching selection and players selections. Unlike in those days while operating from Lagos, no one could invite a player to the national team – be it U17, U20, U23 up to Super Eagles – and fans will not know the criteria for the inclusion of such.
“The same applies for the coach in question. A coach has to earn his appraisal from the domestic League. Let us recall how we got players like Kanu Nwankwo (Papilo), Mobi Oparaku, Jay Jay Okocha, Tesilim Fatusi, Sani Adamu, Wilson Oruma, Angus Ikeji, and many others.
“Believe me, they all came through by their merits. But, today it’s the highest bidder that earns the national team’ colours. Recent NFF members have failed the entire football fraternity in Nigeria. How can our football improve, with all this unwarranted attitude in the football house?”
