Sports
‘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.”
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.