Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh has revealed the very one reason why he is so desirous of coaching the Super Eagles once again.
In a no-hold-back interview with timeline.ng all the way from his base in Belgium, Oliseh noted that he is so pained that over time the Nigeria Super Eagles Fans have suffered so much, and have been turned into mere spectators, watching other countries carting away laurels while their darling Super Eagles team have been turned to mere participant.
Oliseh said the situation has become so bad that winning silver is now being considered a success and deserved to be rewarded by the President with houses, National honours and lands. He maintained that that should not be the case and it must not be accepted. The former Super Eagles Coach recounted how during his playing days their team was disbanded for coming third in the same AFCON.
The 49-year-old coach who once coached the Super Eagles stressed that it is the love for the Nigeria football fans and the hunger to get the Nigeria team back to winning ways that elicited his desire to wanting to coach the Super Eagles. He however emphasised that he has not applied for the job and is not also willing to apply. He noted that with what he has done for the Super Eagles, being one of the most successful captains of the team in his playing days and also with his record when he briefly coached the team, he would always consider it a thing of joy if the current administrators of the country football would deem it necessary to invite him to take over the job.
Sunday Oliseh promises to bring back the good old days of the Super Eagles and ensure that the team gets back to winning trophies if engaged as the Super Eagles Coach.
Speaking specifically about the relegation of players playing their trade in the Nigeria Premier League from the Super Eagles mainstream team, the former Super Eagles captain maintained that that will never be the case if he becomes the Super Eagles chief coach, noting that he has never been an advocate of divisions in his team.
“I don’t advocate division in my team at all. Every player would have an equal chance to adorn the green, white, green jersey of the National Team. It’s about if you are at that level to play for the National team, and if you are, nobody will stop you from playing.
“You will recall that I did it during my time as the Super Eagles Coach. I played players playing locally and made them very integral members of the team. As coaches, there must be a deliberate attempt to integrate the local players into the team. Yes, we may not build our team around them like they do in South Africa, but they must be given a chance in the team,”
Speaking about where he would reside if given the job as the Super Eagles Chief coach, Sunday Oliseh maintained that it will only be proper for him to reside where majority of the players reside in order to have proper opportunity to supervise them.
“But that does not mean that I will not spend some time in Nigeria to watch the Nigeria league so as to be able to pick out some good talents. But you should also know that it is not a job of one person. It’s going to be a team effort. And you should also understand that it is proper to spend more time where majority of the players are playing their football,” Oliseh said.
Recall that Oliseh was the Chief coach of the Super Eagles from July 2015 to February 2016 before leaving because of some disagreement with the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and some senior players.