NFF Still In Search Of Coach For National Team.

The NFF officials also said that they had rejected the bid of Le Guen to return to the negotiation table. Reports on Wednesday suggested that the Frenchman was having a rethink of his earlier decision not to accept the offer to manage the Eagles.

The executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has asked the Technical and Development Sub-Committee to recommend another Super Eagles coach within seven days. This instruction was made on Wednesday following the breakdown of negotiation with Frenchman Paul Le Guen.

The communiqué made available to The PUNCH stated, “The Executive Committee instructed the Technical and Development Sub-Committee to, within the next seven (7) days, recommend a candidate for the post of Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles. It noted that the refusal of Mr. Paul Le Guen, earlier recommended by the Sub-Committee, to accept to be given targets as well as unwillingness to live in Nigeria, made his candidature unacceptable to the board.

“The Committee also disapproved of Mr. Le Guen’s desire to come to the job with two assistants, which would make Nigerian coaches redundant. The committee noted that it was the desire to show transparency that made the Technical and Development Sub-Committee to make public its recommendation in the first place.”

The statement from the NFF officials also noted, “The committee further resolved that any candidate that would be so recommended by the Technical and Development Sub-Committee must have accepted to be handed targets and must also be willing to live in Nigeria. In addition, such a candidate must agree to undergo other internal evaluation.”

On Tuesday, the NFF President Amaju Pinnick said that the unwillingness of Le Guen to accept targets and also reside in Nigeria caused the final negotiation to hit a deadlock.

 The executive committee then approved the appointment of Salisu Yusuf as Eagles chief coach, Bitrus Bewarang as technical director and Nduka Ugbade as the U17 Golden Eaglets assistant coach.

 Imama Amakapabo will serve as assistant coach to Yusuf and Alloy Agu as goalkeepers’ trainer.

The NFF said also that only the head coaches of the various national teams will be on monthly salary, while assistant coaches will receive only bonuses and allowances. The assistant coaches with the NFF have been given till the end of this year to secure substantive employment elsewhere.