Currently, the NFF is in search of a suitable replacement for the head coach position and has announced an open call for applications.
Super Eagles AFCON ’94 triumph
With only one foreign coach, Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof, leading the Eagles to victory at the 1994 AFCON, there is a strong emphasis on the importance of indigenous leadership in shaping Nigeria’s football future, as highlighted by Odegbami.
Odegbami advises NFF
“Nigeria must now place her destiny in the hands of qualified and patriotic Nigerians,” Odegbami stated emphatically in his column in the Complete Sports.
“The Super Eagles must carry the banner of Nigeria proudly and without any dilution of its spirit to achieve ultimate greatness in the world. The coach of the Super Eagles must wear the country’s ambition like a cloak.”
Odegbami’s viewpoint resonates with the increasing agreement among Nigerian football fans. While there have been foreign triumphs, like Jose Peseiro leading the team to the 2023 AFCON final, Odegbami contends that the true essence of national pride and fervor can only be truly embodied by a Nigerian coach.
“If the price of the elevation of Nigeria and the emancipation of the Black Race is that we ‘lose’ now to gain experience and eventual success, we must pay that price.
“That is the route to go,” Odegbami emphasized. “No more foreign coaches in Nigeria! Let us sink or swim with Nigerians, even in football!”
