Super Eagles will begin its quest for qualification for the 2017 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday in Kaduna against Chad.
The once dreaded team in the continent cannot even bark, not to talk of biting. This was exemplified by its failure to qualify for the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
But the team’s former coach, Dutchman Jo Bonfrere, says the team’s problem comes from no other quarter, but the coaches expected to manage it.
Consequently, he said that the parlous state of the team was result of corruption amongst the coaches.
In an interview on SuperSport, the coach lamented the state of the team thus, “I find it very sad that teams are not afraid to play Nigeria again.”
The Atlanta Olympics gold medal winning coach could hardly believe that despite the array of stars at the disposal of the Super Eagles, the team has become the butt of all jokes in the continent.
According to him, coaches preferred to manouvre some players into the team from the back door, which he said was “killing the progress of the team.”
“The biggest problem with Nigerian football at the moment is corruption at all levels of the national teams. I know it happened before and is still happening now where players or their agents pay to get into the team.”
“I am the only man to have coached Nigeria who never sold or be involved in the sale of one player. A lot of the coaches are involved in it even to this present time. I used to give money to some players who said they were going on trials instead.”
“I find it very sad that teams are not afraid to play Nigeria again. I don’t buy that story that there are not enough talented players for the current coach to work with. The job of a national team coach is to harness the talents at his disposal and make them cohesive and functional to win matches.”
However, the Dutchman, who led Eagles to the final of the 2000 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations where the team lost to Cameroon via penalty shoot-outs, pointed out that he would handle the Super Eagles with an indigenous coach that shares the same vision with him, if given the opportunity again.
“Yes but maybe with a younger local or foreign assistant who shares the same vision of attacking football so we can get the continent at least, back to being afraid of playing against the Super Eagles again.
“I spent a lot of my money going everywhere that Nigerian players played in Europe. I had to watch them. It is absolutely vital that you watch them at their clubs.”
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