OLUFEMI ATOYEBI examines the proposed hiring of a foreigner to head the technical department of the Nigeria Football FederationThe communiqu released on Thursday by the Nigeria Football Federation after the conclusion of its 67th Annual General Assembly in Kaduna did not say anything about the position of the Technical Director of the NFF.Report during the week said the NFF would unveil the person that will lead its Technical Department after the assembly, with former Ethiopia coach Tom Saintfeit favoured to take the job. Saintfeit led Ethiopia to a 2-2 draw against Nigeria in Addis Ababa but resigned from the position in October after five months. The 38-year-old Belgian had earlier worked as coach of Namibia and Zimbabwe between 2008 and 2010.But beyond Saintfeits unveiling that never was on Thursday, the hiring of a foreigner to head the technical department of the NFF has also raised questions over Nigerias readiness to give home-grown coaches a chance to develop.FIFA and CAF instructor, Adegboye Onigbinde, said after 45 years of advising Nigeria on the best way to develop football in the country, he was gradually being forced to keep off football matters. He wondered why the NFF would take a decision to employ foreigner when capable hands were in the country.With what happened in 2011, we need to go back to the basic before we can rebuild our football. Some of the decisions taken in 2011 were against our football and they were responsible for the failure recorded in the year, Onigbinde said.As we go into 2012, one would have expected that we approach the year with better mentality. We should learn to encourage our own coaches but bringing in a foreigner to head the department is a slap on our own coaches.Onigbinde recalled a similar situation when a foreigner was brought into the country sometimes ago but left after seeing the proposal already submitted to the NFF.He said, I am sure that he was wondering what else the NFF needed from him if they could not work on the proposals they had already. Four years ago, CAF decided to grade all African coaches. It has started in all other countries except in Nigeria, where it started two months ago.I am running a coaching clinic for our coaches with the view to grading them but if a technical director is coming in, it means my work stops because that is part of the developmental work of a technical director, said Onigbinde, who has been with CAF for 17 years and FIFA for 23 years.A former Technical Director of the NFA, Tunde Disu, said there was nothing wrong in bringing in a foreigner to head the technical department of a football association but noted that with the level Nigeria had attained in football, a Nigerian should be saddled with the responsibility.We dont have to do that even if other countries are doing it. Nigeria has so many qualified coaches for the job and I think Onigbinde fits that position. Why do we have to offer such job to foreigner when we have our own coaches.I was once the director before handing over to coach Kashimawo Laloko and every other coaches that worked in that office have done well until recently.Disu pointed out that there would no clash between Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi and the director since they have different functions.The director has nothing to do directly with the players. He can make recommendation to the coach after observing the training or after watching the match. Moreover, his job does not confine him to Super Eagles alone, he is the head of all Nigerian teams coaches. Someone with vast football experience as administrator and as a coach should be given the job and here in Nigeria, there are qualified coaches, said Disu.But director of Warri Wolves FC, Edema Fuludu sees nothing wrong in hiring a foreign technical director for the NFF. He said Nigeria was blessed with human resources but the nation has failed to invest in their development.He said, It is obvious that there is a lot we can gain from having a foreigner in our football but there is a lot to do to maximise the gains of their presence.If we have trained our own coaches regularly, then we dont need a foreigner around us. However, if we must bring one now, we must be clear on why he is coming. He must be ready to work with our teams in Nigeria and not travelling around the globe monitoring players. The foreigner should be ready to live in Nigeria and come up with ideas on how to lift our football, he said.
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