Sunday Oliseh Close To Emerge As Super Eagles’ Head Coach

 The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed it is in talks
with former Super Eagles’ Captain, Sunday Oliseh, with regards to the
vacant position of the team’s Head Coach.

At the weekend, the NFF terminated the appointment of another former
Captain, Stephen Keshi, over breaches of core terms of his contract.
Following the encouragement of a team of the NFF Technical and
Development Committee that is working on filling the vacant position,
Oliseh met with the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, in London on
Tuesday.

“An offer has been made, and there is understanding, but we have to
work out the final details of the agreement in a few days. Of course,
the Executive Board has to give approval for his appointment based on
the final terms to be agreed,” said Felix Anyansi-Agwu, the Chairman
of the NFF Technical and Development Committee.

The nff.com understands that Oliseh will come with a Foreign Technical
Assistant, whose job description will centre around development
programmes and who will work with clubs’ youth teams and certified
academies towards developing the game from the grassroots.

Current stand-in Coach Salisu Yusuf will also be in the new team, but
with greater devotion to the home-based team, otherwise known as Super
Eagles B, and will be the interface between the technical crew and the
home boys.

Oliseh is expected to come up with a five-year developmental plan to
fashion a unique playing and coaching philosophy for all the National
Teams and will, for this purpose, interface regularly with coaches of
those teams.

“We are also looking at how he will periodically organize clinics and
seminars for coaches of Clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football
League, probably once in a month, so as to strengthen the playing
philosophy across board. A robust youth development programme, elite
player development strategy and performance programmes to drive higher
standards, among other core sustainable development programmes, are
also part of the proposal,” Anyansi-Agwu added.

Pinnick said: “Sunday Oliseh has vast experience and immense knowledge
of the game, and will certainly add value to what we are doing. He has
bought into our vision and objectives towards the development of
Nigeria football. He will command the respect of the players and we
trust he has the temperament to work harmoniously with the Technical
and Development Committee, the Technical Directorate and the Technical
Study Group.

“On our part at the NFF, we will give him all the support to succeed
as we have been giving to all our coaches. Subject to the approval of
the NFF Executive Committee, we will conclude negotiations by weekend
and he will be unveiled next week.”
Oliseh, 40, is presently a FIFA instructor and runs a consultancy that
trains and assesses coaches worldwide.

He is also member of the FIFA Technical Study Group.

He was in the Nigeria squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in
Tunisia in 1994 and played in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup final
competitions, with the Super Eagles reaching the Round of 16 in both.
He was also in the Nigeria U-23 side that won Africa’s first Olympic
football gold in Atlanta 19 years ago.

Oliseh played for Reggiana, FC Cologne, Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus,
Borussia Dortmund, VFL Bochum and RC Genk in a magnificent
professional career, during which he played under some of the best
coaches in the universe.

He wore 63 caps for Nigeria between 1993 and 2002, picking up Africa
Cup of Nations gold, silver and bronze medals.
Oliseh holds a UEFA Pro Licence and coached Belgian lower division
club, Vervietois, between 2008 and 2009.
NFF confirms negotiations with Sunday Oliseh

The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed it is in talks with
former Super Eagles’ Captain, Sunday Oliseh, with regards to the
vacant position of the team’s Head Coach.

At the weekend, the NFF terminated the appointment of another former
Captain, Stephen Keshi, over breaches of core terms of his contract.
Following the encouragement of a team of the NFF Technical and
Development Committee that is working on filling the vacant position,
Oliseh met with the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, in London on
Tuesday.

“An offer has been made, and there is understanding, but we have to
work out the final details of the agreement in a few days. Of course,
the Executive Board has to give approval for his appointment based on
the final terms to be agreed,” said Felix Anyansi-Agwu, the Chairman
of the NFF Technical and Development Committee.

Thenff.com understands that Oliseh will come with a Foreign Technical
Assistant, whose job description will centre around development
programmes and who will work with clubs’ youth teams and certified
academies towards developing the game from the grassroots.

Current stand-in Coach Salisu Yusuf will also be in the new team, but
with greater devotion to the home-based team, otherwise known as Super
Eagles B, and will be the interface between the technical crew and the
home boys.

Oliseh is expected to come up with a five-year developmental plan to
fashion a unique playing and coaching philosophy for all the National
Teams and will, for this purpose, interface regularly with coaches of
those teams.

“We are also looking at how he will periodically organize clinics and
seminars for coaches of Clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football
League, probably once in a month, so as to strengthen the playing
philosophy across board. A robust youth development programme, elite
player development strategy and performance programmes to drive higher
standards, among other core sustainable development programmes, are
also part of the proposal,” Anyansi-Agwu added.

Pinnick said: “Sunday Oliseh has vast experience and immense knowledge
of the game, and will certainly add value to what we are doing. He has
bought into our vision and objectives towards the development of
Nigeria football. He will command the respect of the players and we
trust he has the temperament to work harmoniously with the Technical
and Development Committee, the Technical Directorate and the Technical
Study Group.

“On our part at the NFF, we will give him all the support to succeed
as we have been giving to all our coaches. Subject to the approval of
the NFF Executive Committee, we will conclude negotiations by weekend
and he will be unveiled next week.”

Oliseh, 40, is presently a FIFA instructor and runs a consultancy that
trains and assesses coaches worldwide.

He is also member of the FIFA Technical Study Group.

He was in the Nigeria squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in
Tunisia in 1994 and played in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup final
competitions, with the Super Eagles reaching the Round of 16 in both.
He was also in the Nigeria U-23 side that won Africa’s first Olympic
football gold in Atlanta 19 years ago.

Oliseh played for Reggiana, FC Cologne, Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus,
Borussia Dortmund, VFL Bochum and RC Genk in a magnificent
professional career, during which he played under some of the best
coaches in the universe.

He wore 63 caps for Nigeria between 1993 and 2002, picking up Africa
Cup of Nations gold, silver and bronze medals.

Oliseh holds a UEFA Pro Licence and coached Belgian lower division
club, Vervietois, between 2008 and 2009.