SAFAR 24 1431 A.H.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2010.
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New Eagles TA: NFF hails FG move
The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has applauded the Federal Government's decision to fund the hiring of a new technical adviser for the Super Eagles.
The committee praised the government in a communique after it met last Friday at its secretariat in Abuja to discuss pertinent issues in Nigerian football.
The five-point communique, signed by Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi, the Chairman of the Communique Drafting Committee, applauded the Presidential Task Force on Super Eagles’ World Cup Qualification and the National Sports Commission.
The committee approved the immediate appointment of a new technical adviser for the Super Eagles ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in the Republic of South Africa.
It directed the technical committee to commence immediate contact and complete screening of five candidates penciled down for the job, by the end of February.
``The technical committee must also recommend to the executive committee a short–list of three out of the five names,’’ it said.
The targeted coaches are Bruno Metsu, Guus Hiddink, Ratomir Dujkovic, Louis van Gaal and Peter Taylor.
``The committee approved that the present technical crew of the Super Eagles should commence immediate camping of Super Eagles Team B for the 2011 African Nations Championship and other international friendlies,'' it added.
The meeting, which was adjourned to February 9, had NFF President Sani Lulu Abdullahi, Amanze Uchegbulam (1st Vice President) and Oyuki Obaseki (2nd Vice President) in attendance.
Meanwhile, Shuaibu Amodu was last Friday demoted to the position of coach of the Super Eagles home-based team, after a stormy meeting of the NFF board.
Luis van Gaal, Guus Hiddink, Bruno Metsu, Peter Taylor and Ratomir Djukovic are the five shortlisted candidates to replace Amodu and take the Super Eagles to the World Cup.
The Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force (PTF) and the sports ministry will foot the bills for the employment of the new technical adviser.
The NFF's Technical Committee have been directed to complete the process of screening the candidates by the end of February and turn in a shortlist of three.
Amodu, who qualified the Super Eagles for the World Cup, will now lead his assistants to raise and train a team of local players to qualify and compete at the 2011 African Nations Championships, a competition open only to players playing in the domestic leagues of their countries.
It was a meeting that was scheduled to be a single agendum meeting, to decide on Amodu's position as Super Eagles coach.
But Amodu's future as Nigeria coach took a back seat as members of the NFF Executive Committee first focused on impeachment proceedings against NFF President Sani Lulu Abdullahi.
It was originally suggested that the coach be sent to Europe on a six-month refresher course, but that idea was jettisoned and he was put in charge of raising a team of local players.
