
Despite the abundance of homegrown football knowledge, AJIBADE OLUSESAN writes that the failure to prioritise coaching education has left many Nigerian coaches ill-equipped for top-level roles, perpetuating a cycle of reliance on foreign coaches
The appointment of Eric Chelle as the head coach of the Super Eagles by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has sparked intense debate among football enthusiasts.
While some Nigerians support the decision, others believe hiring the Franco-Malian is a disservice to local coaches, especially given Nigeria’s rich football history and talent pool.
People have argued that Nigeria, a nation that produced football icons like Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Okocha, Samson Siasia, Victor Ikpeba, Finidi George, Emmanuel Amuneke, Sunday Oliseh, and Daniel Amokachi, among others, should not rely on a coach from a less prominent footballing country like Mali.
“I think it is a terrible decision because Chelle is not better than our local coaches, and if we don’t give our local coaches a chance to grow, how do they develop,” a former international Kadiri Ikhana snapped.
“Many homegrown coaches have proved themselves in the league and most importantly at international assignments, but strangely they are ignored by NFF. “They need this type of opportunity to gather enough experience and prove themselves at the international level, sincerely I am not happy about this,” Ikhana who guided Enyimba to lift the African Champions League in 2003 said.
Another ex-international, Sam Elijah added a punch, saying “Who is Chelle compared to Austin Eguavoen, in any way? Look at the playing career, look at the two of them playing for their various national teams. “How many caps does he have, what was his achievement the last time he took the national team to Côte d’Ivoire, he couldn’t get to the final.”
Root of the problem
However, it is important to note that at the heart of the debate lies a fundamental issue which is the lack of requisite coaching certifications by many Nigerian coaches, which has limited their chances of being considered for highprofile positions.
When looking at Nigerian coaches, only a few possess the qualifications required to manage a team like the Super Eagles. Certifications such as the UEFA A, UEFA Pro, or even CAF A licenses are the standard for coaching at the highest level.
Unfortunately, many Nigerian coaches lack these credentials due to a combination of reasons including lack of ability, interest, and systemic failures. Both Ikhana and Elijah posited that Eguavoen is better qualified than Chelle but a scrutiny of the licences of both coaches shows that the Malian possesses far superior qualification.
He has a UEFA Pro badge while the Technical Director of the NFF has UEFA B and CAF A badges. There are few notable Nigerian coaches who have coaching badges of high standard; a former African Footballer of the Year, Amuneke, for instance, possesses a UEFA Pro License the same certification brandished by Challe.
Oliseh, Ndubuisi Egbo, who led a team to the Albania League title, Henry Makinwa, Mutiu Adepoju, Usman Ab’dallah and Seyi Olofinjana all have the UEFA Pro Licence, the highest certificate in Europe. Others like Eddy Dombraye Peter Ijeh Mike Obiku. Paul Aigbogun Daniel Amokachi and Abiodun Baruwa possess among others UEFA A badges.
Challenges
One of the challenges Nigerian coaches face in obtaining these certifications stems largely from the failure of the NFF to prioritise coaching education.
Many of the coaches don’t have the resources to travel to other countries to obtain the certification and are hoping to latch on the opportunities created by FIFA and CAF who have introduced various coaching education programmes designed to certify indigent coaches within Africa and other regions.
However, sadly, for years, the NFF did not organise CAF courses, leaving many coaches stuck with lower-level certifications or none at all. This stagnation was exacerbated under the administration of former President, Amaju Pinnick, when CAF suspended coaching courses in Nigeria.
Although the current NFF leadership under Ibrahim Gusau is attempting to revive CAF courses, progress remains slow. For instance, the CAF Pro License has been introduced across Africa, yet many Nigerian coaches are still struggling to obtain CAF C licenses, the most basic level.
This bottleneck has significantly limited their career prospects and excluded them from high-profile roles like managing the Super Eagles. The last time Nigeria held a CAF ‘A’ License coaching course was in 2016. Before that, the NFF organised CAF B and C licenses. Good knowledge is the foundation of football today, but many Nigerian clubs and academies are run by unqualified coaches.
Experience is helpful, but modern football requires more than that. Coaches need to learn new strategies, use technology, and train players with the latest methods to succeed. In today’s football, a coach must work with experts like video analysts, fitness trainers, and match planners. They also need to understand these roles to manage their teams better.
Unfortunately, Nigeria has not kept up with these changes. The problem became obvious when CAF said only coaches with CAF ‘A’ Licenses could manage teams in continental competitions.
At the time, very few Nigerian coaches had this qualification. Clubs had to hire new coaches just to meet this rule. For example, in 2020, Enyimba FC had to temporarily appoint Godwin Nosike as head coach because their main coach didn’t have the required license. Nosike barely knew the team, and it showed the lack of preparation in Nigerian football.
Since 2018, many Nigerian coaches have paid for CAF B License courses, but the NFF hasn’t held these courses. Coaches have complained, but nothing has changed. Some are now afraid to speak out, worried they’ll be punished or called troublemakers. Private organiszations have stepped in to offer their coaching courses, but their certificates are rarely recognised by employers.
These courses also don’t always meet the required standards, making them less useful for coaches. The Nigerian Institute for Sports (NIS) is the only body legally allowed to certify coaches in Nigeria, but CAF and UEFa licenses are still the most respected qualification. Coaches are supposed to complete NIS training before taking CAF courses, but this rule is often ignored. Many unqualified people enrol in CAF programmes, further lowering standards.
The bigger problem
In Europe, retired players easily become coaches because there are proper training systems. In Nigeria, the lack of coaching education makes this hard.
Without skilled coaches, Nigerian football will struggle to compete. This also affects the quality of players. Without modern training, they can’t perform as well as players from other countries.
Nigeria also lacks a clear football identity because coaches are behind on current trends. Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, the highly respected former coach of the Super Eagles, stated that poor coaching is becoming a significant problem in Nigeria and that the NFF must take action to resolve this issue. “For me, aside from focusing on developing players, I think the NFF needs to pay close attention to training and retraining our coaches.
“For a long time, the country hasn’t organized any high-level CAF training programmes or equivalent coaching courses. How can we expect Nigerian teams to perform well in continental championships or even stand out in the local league? “Nigerian coaches need support and encouragement to learn modern methods.
You can’t have good players if you don’t have good coaches. This applies to the relationship between coaches and players too,” he said. Meanwhile, a retired Eagles star and the current General Manager of Shooting Stars, Dimeji Lawal, said coaches should not blame the NFF for their lack of development.
“Whoever decides to be a coach must seek opportunities to upgrade himself/herself as the job demands. There are so many avenues to do that these days and a lot of coaching courses are available at different levels. Any opportunity that is available through the football house should be seen as a plus not obligatory,” he said.
Another ex-international, Emmanuel Babayaro agreed with him when he said, “It’s our fault for hiring foreign coaches because, as the saying goes, you get the service you deserve. Nigerian coaches often scramble for these jobs and sometimes go through undignified and degrading situations to get them. “Foreign coaches might have multiple certificates and badges, but it’s rare to find Nigerian coaches with certifications that are even two years old.
We don’t make a habit of upgrading our skills. Instead, we hear complaints that the country isn’t helping them. “But is it the country’s responsibility to train them after providing them with opportunities? When coaches invest in their own training, they improve their skills, strengthen their bargaining power, and build stronger CVs.”
“We have very good coaches in Nigeria but the problem we have is that we do not want to go and learn,” another former player Efe Sodje concurred with his compatriots. “Once they qualify to coach, they think being qualified means that they don’t have to do more courses. They have to do more courses, as a coach, you’re still learning. It doesn’t matter what kind of big club you have coached, you’re still learning.”