Allen Onyema, football enthusiast, chairman and CEO of Air Peace, has threatened to take legal action against the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over hiring a foreign coach for the Super Eagles while calling for an indigenous manager for the three-time African champions.
The NFF recently advertised the role of Super Eagles coach following the expiration of Portuguese tactician Jose Peseiro’s contract after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Peseiro led the Nigerian national team to the runner-up spot at the 2023 AFCON and could not reach a contractual agreement with the NFF to extend his contract.
Onyema, a staunch supporter of the Super Eagles, has voiced his displeasure over the preference for a foreign coach over local coaches and threatens legal action against the NFF if they hire a foreign coach for the Super Eagles.
“I do not see the reason why we cannot have a look into the country and get somebody out there that will take on the Super Eagles,” Onyeama said as quoted by City People Online.
“A lot of them succeeded. The truth is that when a foreign coach bows out of the group stage, nobody talks; when a Nigerian coach bows out from Quarterfinals or semi-finals, oh if it had been a foreign coach, we would have won the cup.
“Nobody gives Nigerian coaches a chance. Nigerians should rise against any NFF that goes again to get any idiot as a foreign coach.
“We don’t need a foreign coach; let us grow our own. Let us even save the naira. Let us grow our own and give the Nigerian coach the same incentive you give the foreign coach and see them excel.
“We should go to court to stop NFF from employing foreign coaches; I will join you, I am telling you.
“And I will fund it. We should go to court. We must begin to love this country; that’s all I have to say about this NFF now.”
Meanwhile, former international Finidi George, assistant coach to Peseiro is in charge of the Super Eagles in an interim capacity and recently led Nigeria to a 2-1 victory over the Black Stars Ghana in an international friendly on March 22 will also be against Mali on Tuesday, March 26 in Morocco.
The NFF is expected to announce the appointment of a new coach for the Super Eagles by April in preparation for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.
Recall that Air Peace in September 2021 signed a sponsorship deal with NFF worth N300 million, making it the Official Airline Sponsor of Nigerian National Teams. (BusinessDay)
