The Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) disgraceful expedition to hire a foreign coach is yet another inglorious journey rooted in lack of planning.
Ten years of long-term planning should be more than sufficient to develop a robust technical department to upgrade Nigerian coaches for national team assignments.
With the right people in charge of football in Nigeria—a country that was once ranked 5th best in the world—Nigeria should by now be the hub and center for the training and development of African countries, not Europe or South America.
The technical departments of top football federations are commercially viable sub-sectors because they generate revenue.
A fraction of the grants from FIFA and CAF from 2014-2024 is more than sufficient to establish a robust and commercially viable technical department that would have upgraded a good number of indigenous coaches for our national teams.
It’s a big shame for a country like Nigeria to be talking of hiring a foreign coach in 2024.
What happened to these funds from FIFA and CAF from 2014-2024?
1. $8.6m 2014 World Cup grant
2. $10m 2018 World Cup grant
3. FIFA Assisted Programme grant 2015: $2.5m
4. FIFA Forward 1.0, FIFA Forward 2.0, and ongoing FIFA 3.0 cycle 2023-2026: Nigeria is entitled to $8m in this ongoing cycle, having received over $10m in the previous two cycles specifically for projects and administration with nothing to show for it. By January 2026, NFF would have received $18m from 3 cycles of the FIFA forward programme with no tangible project on the ground.
5. Plus the steady FIFA Annual grants to all its 211 members and CAF grants to all its 54 members.
6. The recent CAF grant for the 2023 AFCON, which is estimated to be about $7m.
7. Let’s leave out the Billions of Naira from corporate sponsorship and appropriation by the National Assembly through the federation account between 2014 – 2024.
All these funds disappeared into thin air and translated into huge debts, outstanding hotel bills, and outstanding match bonuses to Super Eagles players, the Falcons, and all strata of the national teams and coaches.
Without diligently probing how the NFF found themselves in this financial mess, the Honourable Minister of Sports, Senator John Enoh, convinced President Tinubu to release an intervention fund of 12 billion Naira, which the president graciously approved.
Even the 12 Billion Naira, as we speak, is alleged to have been misappropriated, with only two in the many outstanding match bonuses and allowances paid so far.
A serious country would send both the Honourable Minister and the NFF Board packing since the minister has demonstrated a lack of capacity to call the NFF—a parastatal under his ministry—to order, take full responsibility, and reposition Nigeria football.
The expedition in search of a foreign coach is another disaster in waiting.
By Harrison Jalla
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