Former Nigerian striker Julius Aghahowa has expressed his worry over the current situation of the Super Eagles, with no head coach after the resignation of Finidi George.
There are more speculations increasing regarding the likelihood of a foreign coach being awarded the coaching position, such as Hervé Renard and Éric Chelle.
There have been mooted proposals of the Eagles job to Herve Renard in recent weeks as reported by Sportsbuddy.
Aghahowa has raised questions about the financial viability of such measure.
Financial Concerns and Homegrown Solutions
Julius Aghahowa is worried if the Federation might be able to afford someone of Herve Renard’s quality.
In an interview with Brila FM’s “No-Holds-Barred” program with Ifeanyi Udeze, Aghahowa said that the problem of hiring a foreign coach currently is financially burdensome.
He said “Even when the former coach was handling the team and he was earning about $50,000 to 70,000, it was difficult for us to pay him. We were owing him for months, and now we are talking about almost double of that amount, where are we going to get the money from?” asked Agahowa
Advocating for Local Talent
Julius Aghahowa, who played in a total of 32 internationals and netted 14 goals for the Super Eagles, advocated change in the management team, players and coaches.
He also pointed to the need to prepare for the future rather than chase ephemeral victories in the company of foreign coaches.
In the words of Aghahowa he said “Why don’t we look inward and build a team for the future, forget about the short-term results? he added.
Support for Homegrown Coaches
Aghahowa also proposed that Nigerian coaches should be allowed to manage the team on a long-term basis.
He pointed out that local coaches understand the football environment and they should be trusted with the task and compensated fairly, even if their salaries are not as high as that of their foreign counterparts.
Following the upcoming Nigeria’s Super Eagles match against the Benin Republic on September 7 in the AFCON 2025 qualifier, Aghahowa’s call for a more sustainable and locally focused approach could resonate with those looking for a long-term solution for Nigerian football.
