Onigbinde okays Siasia’s assistants

Former Super Eagles coach and Nigeria Football Association (NFF) technical committee member Adegboye Onigbinde has approved the decision of the NFF executive board to appoint the duo of Kano Pillars coach Salisu Yusuf and former Eagles goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu as Super Eagles assistant coaches.

Adegboye Onigbinde

Onigbinde whose committee played a prominent role in the search for the local assistants for Eagles head coach Samson Siasia told SuperSport.com that the appointment met with their recommendations and request that the football house should liaise with Siasia in deciding who becomes his assistants.

“I believe the appointments did meet our recommendations, we said NFF should consult with siasia.

“Professionally, I do not believe it is proper to force assistants on coaches, I had the experience and it was bad. “Chief coach is the manager of the team, anybody who will work with him must own his coming by his consent because he takes the knocks and praises.”
Continuing the Fifa and Caf instructor equally informed that they asked NFF to seek Siasia’s approval to engage older coaches to work on the background apart from his backroom staff.

“One of our recommendations is for NFF to engage older coaches apart from the assistants to advice and assist, they will work underground, but that will depend on whether Siasia will take it.

“In my days as Super Eagles coach, we have something like that men of my age and I said why cannot we bring in younger coaches to come in and learn, now we have a reverse, we have younger coaches, so why cannot we have older men on the background assisting. As I said before it depends on Siasia,” he said.

NFF on Wednesday ended weeks of waiting who the local assistants to Siasia will be by naming Pillars coach Salisu Yusuf and Ike Shorunmu as well as approving Dutchman Simon Kalika as first assistant.