IBADAN – Former Super Eagles Coach, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, has blamed the country’s failure in continental competitions on inadequate coaching programmes in the country.
He called on stakeholders, especially the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Sports Ministry, to establish modern coaching programmes for trainers at all levels.
Speaking in the wake of Rivers United’s ouster from the CAF Confederation Cup by Tanzania’s Young African FC in the quarterfinals, Onigbinde said Nigerian would continue to stutter in international competitions if steps were not taking to organize quality coaching programmes to keep coaches abreast with modern trends in football.
He believes the country can develop good coaches capable of competing successfully with their counterparts overseas, adding, however, that it can only happen when the NFF and other stakeholders in football realise the importance of grooming and training coaches.
“I am not blaming any coach that participated in any CAF organised championship this season. I feel quality coaching helps to make teams successful despite the odds and you cannot expect miracles from people when you did not equip them for the job,” he said.
Onigbinde will not be drawn into the debate of whether clubs are better served by foreign coaches, saying it is purely the choice of the clubs to decide who manages their teams.
“If a Nigerian club decides to employ foreign coaches for continental engagements, it is purely its decision.
“For me, apart from developing players that I have been shouting about, I believe the NFF needs to also pay keen attention to training and retraining of coaches.
“The country, for a long time, has not had a high level CAF organized training programme or a high-level coaching course equivalent to the-organized ones. How would you expect a Nigerian team to excel in continental championships or even be exceptional in the domestic league?
“Nigerian coaches should be helped and encouraged to expose themselves to modern trends. You cannot get good students when you don’t have good teachers… this also goes for coaches and players relationship,” he said.
Onigbinde’s sermons come on the heels of Rivers United Coach, Stanley Eguma’s confession that tactical mistakes led to his team’s failure against Young Africans FC.
Speaking on his team’s performance against the East Africans, Eguma said: “We never bargained to be out of the competition. Allowing our opponents to get two goals in Nigeria was our greatest undoing. Tactical mistakes and players’ failure to convert their chances affected the team. The boys were committed to winning the away game.”
“If we had won the first leg in Nigeria, it would have been a different ball game in Tanzania. Unfortunately, we are out of the competition.
“Getting to the quarterfinal of the CAF Confederation Cup is a big achievement for Nigeria. You cannot compare Rivers United and Young Africans that has existed for a long time.
“The fan base and budget is massive and higher than what Rivers United has, but we have not given up…our target is to get the trophy next time,” he said.
