The Nigeria Football Federation has responded to the sudden resignation of Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, describing the development as ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’.
The spokesperson for the Federation, Ademola Olajire, said with Oliseh’s departure, the country would have to immediately empanel a new set of technical leadership for the national team.
“Oliseh is gone and we have to move forward,” Olajire said in an interview in Abuja with the Nigeria Television Authority. “As far as we are concerned, it is good riddance to bad rubbish. He is not the kind of person we though he was.
“He went on YouTube to abuse Nigerians. The Minister pleaded with the federation to allow him to remain in place for our next two matches. As you can see, he did not even wait for those matches.”
Olajire said the NFF only heard of the resignation in the media as the coach was yet to send in any letter to that effect.
The NFF spokesperson said he was in touch with the President of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick, and other top officials of the Federation, who are currently in Zurich for FIFA special congress.
“I cannot tell you what exactly they will do, but I can tell you that we will empanel a new set of technical hands for the team. And whatever Oliseh has mishandled in his few months in charge, they will have to right.”
Olajire faulted Oliseh’s claim that the NFF violated the terms of his contract, challenging the coach to publish details of those aspects of his contract that were breached.
Coach Oliseh resigned on Friday, just over seven months after he was appointed.
Oliseh, who announced his resignation on Twitter, said he took the decision due to the inability of the NFF to honour the terms of his contract.
“Due to contract violations, lack of support, unpaid wages, benefits to my players, assistant coaches and myself, I resign as Super Eagles Chief Coach,” he tweeted.
In a preceding tweet before announcing his resignation, Oliseh thanked Nigerians for the opportunity to serve as coach of the national team
“I feel fortunate, blessed and eternally grateful for having the honour to play, captain and coach this great nation of ours, Nigeria.”
Oliseh, whose appointment was made with much fanfare by the NFF, soon started having problems with the executives of the federation over remuneration, match tactics and results.
His complaint about being owed was not well received by the NFF, which rather threatened to sanction him.
He also had challenges managing the players. An altercation between the coach and the team’s former captain and the country’s most capped goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, led to the goalie’s premature resignation from the team last October.
Apparently, the last straw for Oliseh was the woeful outing of the Super Eagles at the CHAN competition in Rwanda, where the team was eliminated in the first round.
Following widespread criticisms that greeted the team’s elimination, a Youtube video soon surfaced in which Oliseh lambasted his critics, referring to them as “insane”.
On Thursday, the NFF directed Oliseh to henceforth report to former coach and the federation’s technical director, Amodu Shuaibu.
