Former Malmo FC forward Peter Ijeh has criticized the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for its treatment of Finidi George, which drove his exit as head coach of Super Eagles.
Ijeh’s comments came after the NFF demoted Finidi to be an assistant coach barely six weeks after his appointment following their poor outings against South Africa and Benin Republic in June.
The NFF at that point reported plans to enlist a foreign technical advisor to supervise the group, provoking Finidi to leave promptly.
Peter Ijeh, Nigeria’s all-time best scorer in the Swedish Allsvenskan with 59 goals communicated his disillusionment with the NFF’s choice.
He referenced the tenure of Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro, who had a poor beginning with the Super Eagles winning two and losing six of his games to begin his eight games, and recommended that an outside coach would not have been treated brutally as Finidi.
Speaking on a Radio program on 20 June 2024, Peter Ijeh contended that hiring an outside coach does not guarantee victory in another FIFA World Cup.
He expressed Finidi George merited more time to demonstrate his capabilities, pushing that victory in football intensely depends on the bolster given to both players and coaches.
“From the starting, I accept the NFF checked who they needed. Two remote coaches some time recently Finidi misplaced their to begin with five matches. They ought to have taken care of the circumstance better,” Ijeh said.
He highlighted the significance of legally binding understandings and inferred that outside coaches might get better treatment.
Ijeh noted, “Writing a contract is one thing, the clauses of the contract are another. Who knows what he marked or what the assertion was?
“Everything that happened, they can’t attempt it with a white man.”
Ijeh emphasized the potential of Nigerian coaches, both locally and overseas, who have advanced certifications and are able to drive the Super Eagles.
The former Nigeria International encouraged the NFF to rethink its approach and maintain a strategic distance from making hurried decisions.
The former Malmo FC forward continued, “I still accept building a Nigerian for that errand is conceivable since we have qualified coaches, indeed in the diaspora, with advanced certifications who can execute the work. It depends on the Glass House supporting the coach.
“It’s fair to exhort the NFF that, look, what is the guarantee that bringing in a technical advisor would win the remaining six matches? What on the off chance that he doesn’t win? What next? Where are we going?”
Days after Finidi’s resignation, the NFF is yet to designate a new head coach for the national group.
Nigeria fizzled to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and now confronted with the uncertainty ahead of the next edition, which can be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
