‘No Nigerian Assistants For Technical Director’

Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) executive Committee member Chris Green has said that there will be no local assistants for newly-named Technical Director Tom Saintfiet.

Green explained that the position is not a coaching position which requires assistants, but one within a technical department structure.

“He is not coming to coach, but to plan and implement a development programme for the country. So he will not have assistants,” Green stated.

“What the framework calls for is for different positions within that structure. Saintfiet will be the National Technical Director, and we will have a number of local coaches who will fill the remaining positions, like the positions of Head of National Football Development and Head of Youth Football Development, and so on.

“All those people will work with him, and understudy him while the process goes on.”

Reports early in the week suggested that the NFF will allow the Belgian to come with his own assistants.

Green said that could happen, but not on the NFF’s tab. “We are not aware of this assistants talk. But if he decides that he needs to bring assistants, then that is his decision and he will be responsible for paying them from his wages.”

Those wages are due to come from the Development grant that the NFF receives from Fifa but Green also explained that the funding is yet to arrive.

“Fifa only remits the money for developmental purposes, but they will not do so until a technical director is in place and the department is fully functional.”