File photo: Mikel celebrates his goal with team mates
NFF technical committee head, Barr Chris Green has said the body has outlived the Sunday Oliseh saga and is 100% focused on the 2017 AFCON double header qualifier against the Pharaohs of Egypt on March 25 and 29 respectively.
Oliseh quit his job as Super Eagles manager in an unsavoury manner barely a month to the side’s crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ties against group’s leaders, Egypt.
Although NFF has filled the gap with the recall of former manager, Samson Siasia, Emmanuel Amuneke, Salisu Yusuf and Alloy Agu to charge of the matches, Green said the committee will not allow itself to be distracted further from the fallout of Oliseh’s resignation but work hard to put every act right towards winning both matches.
“Our focus right now is on the immediate two AFCON matches against Egypt as Sunday Oliseh is no more a distraction.
“At least, the people in the office can continue to take care of any issues concerning coach Sunday Oliseh.
“The technical committee has put behind us the Oliseh case, ours is to put things right to ensure we get the desired results in the two matches.
“I must tell you we are wiser right now and I believe we have learnt our lesson from Oliseh’s tenure.
“I’m not making excuses for myself though I was not the chairman of technical then but we jointly agreed to hire him so we take responsibility.
“I think it’s just fair and proper for people to allow the technical committee do what is right in their work.
“First and foremost, Oliseh is the coach of the federation and cannot afford to insult or paint the body in bad light.
“Oliseh was praised to high heaven upon appointment in good fate and equally nicknamed the ‘Pep Guardiola’ of Africa to challenge him achieve the feat of the coach.
“Like I said everything was done in good fate but we have work to do and we must work fast to ensure the work is well done,” said Green to supersport.com.
Green said the insistence on the committee to see coaches’ list of invited players is all done in good fate and to ensure that all parties are on same page.
“The committee will not invite or impose any player(s) on a coach, that’s not our term of reference.
“Ours is to be 100% sure that players invited for a game are eligible and right without any inhibition whatsoever.
“A coach can inadvertently invite a player with dual citizenship or ineligible due to cards offense, we have the statistics and it’s our duty to point out the mix up so also the procurement of traveling documents for players.
“That’s why we expect the list on time so that we can go to work, that’s the reason we ask to see the list but people seem to misinterpret it,” said Green.
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