Former General Manager of the defunct Leventis Football Club of Ibadan, John Mastoroudes wants a foreign coach with a high pedigree to be handed the head coach role of the Super Eagles

Mastoroudes

The former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical committee member explained that there are “good coaches” in the country but that the three-time African champions should appoint a manager with “international pedigree.”

He believes that such a coach with an international pedigree will attract “respect” from the Nigerian squad.

“I’d have loved to see the Super Eagles have a Nigerian coach. We have good coaches in Nigeria but unfortunately, looking around I cannot see any Nigerian coach with international pedigree. So we have to go for a foreign coach. Not just anybody in my opinion but go for a coach that the players will really respect because that is the most important thing,” said Mastoroudes.

Mastoroudes, popular for guiding Leventis United to international prominence in the 1980s, further wants the Nigeria FA to resolve the coaching vacancy in the Super Eagles as the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualification starts in October.

“I want the football federation to appoint a coach now because there is no time to waste considering the difficult World Cup qualifying group we have found ourselves,” Mastoroudes said.

Since former Nigeria international, Sunday Oliseh, quit as head coach, the NFF has had to turn to Samson Siasia and more recently Salisu Yusuf in caretaker capacities.

However, the NFF announced this week that it will name three short-lists for the vacant role while the country’s media has tipped Frenchman, Paul Le Guen, to get the job as they prepare to face Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia in a difficult World Cup qualifying group.