U23 FAILURE FALLOUT
Femi Solaja
Disturbed by the spate of dismal results posted by different grades of the national football teams lately, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has concluded plans to look inward in the appointment of coaches.
The General Secretary of the federation, Alhaji Mohammed Sanusi hinted yesterday while expressing sadness on the shock 2-0 defeat of the national U23 Olympic team by their Guinean counterparts in Morocco on Tuesday night.
The defeat meant Nigeria will not take part in this year’s U23 AFCON to be held in Morocco, which is a qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Gamea. This is the second consecutive Olympics Nigeria’s flag will not be at the men’s football event.
Sanusi who represented the NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau at the launch of the NAIJA Super 8 football tournament in Lagos yesterday, stressed, “I must say that I am sad about the defeat (of the Olympic Eagles).”
Sanusi added, “Anytime a Nigerian team is eliminated from any competition, I always feel sad. All I want to see is for Nigerian teams to continue to do well. That is why when the Interim Management Committee (IMC) was created, I made it a point of duty to always call the referees to officiate the Nigerian Premier Football League with the fear of God.
“We don’t want a situation where our clubs will go for inter-club competitions in the continent and get eliminated in the first round. So, anytime we are in a competition, including our national teams, my prayer is for them to do well,” Sanusi insisted.
On the fate of the U23 coach, Salisu Yusuf who is generally perceived as “untouchable”, the NFF scribe said, “I always want to do my job and allow others to do their jobs too. By virtue of my appointment, I am an administrator and wouldn’t want to delve into any technical matters.
Continuing, Alhaji Sanusi who was in Morocco with the team said, “Nigeria is at a crossroads. Now you are asking us to intervene in what the coach is doing.
He however stressed that the Technical Director of the NFF will decide the fate of Salisu Yusuf who failed with the home-based Eagles in CHAN and now the U23 AFCON Qualifiers.
“Let me tell you that the technical director, whose duty it is to take charge of technical matters like recommending the appointment or removal of coaches is in the the best position to decide on the question you are asking me about Salisu Yusuf,” the NFF scribe tactically buck-passed the question of wether Salisu Yusuf will be removed or not from the national team after failing in another national assignment.
