Soccer fans in Ebonyi yesterday advocated for the appointment of foreign coach for the Super Eagles, to ensure excellent performance in future engagements.
They made the call on the side line of Nigeria’s absence at the 2015 African Cup of Nations which ended on Sunday.
Newsmen reports that Cote D’Ivoire beat Ghana 9-8 on penalties to win the Cup in the finals of the tournament.
The result was a repeat of the 1992 final in Dakar, Senegal between the two countries, which the Ivoirians won 11-10, also on penalties.
Fans, in separate interviews with NAN in Abakaliki, observed that a foreign coach was needed to rebuild the Eagles.
They described Super Eagles missing from the tournament as “a big disaster.”
Peter Nnadozie, the Chairman of Chelsea of England’s Fans Club in Ebonyi, remarked that the impact of foreign coaches in the competition was glaring.
“It showed they (foreign coaches) possess modern football knowledge.
“The tournament was of high standard and this can be attributed to the impact of foreign coaches, especially the two teams that played the final.
“The finals ranked as one of the best in the competition’s history, and three of the four semi-finalists were handled by foreign coaches.
“Special mention must be made of the Equatorial Guinean coach, who took over the team less than a month to the competition but still took it that far,’’ he said.
Emmanuel Utobo, the Director of Sports in Ebonyi, also hailed the impact of Coach Avram Grant on the Ghanaian team, who handled the team two months to the competition.
“I listened to the analysis on Black Stars by Ghanaian commentators commending Grant for making drastic technical changes in the team which former coach Kwesi Appiah was afraid to make.
“The Super Eagles need a foreign coach, who would take such decisions and manage the players effectively like in the Ghanaian case.
“The fans always respect decision of expatriate coaches,’’ he said.
Chief William Onye, a transporter, noted that Coach Herve Reynard blended the Ivorian team with experience and youthfulness.
“He gave the youngsters the same operational pedestal with the older players.
“Hell could have been let loose if a local coach dropped the talismanic Didier Drogba from the competition.
“The fans accepted the decision without furore because it was taken by a foreigner, believing it was best for the country,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Chinyere Odoh, a female soccer coach in the state, called on the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) to appoint a substantive coach for the Eagles.
She noted that a substantive coach was needed for immediate preparations for AFCON 2017.
“It is good that the NFA Chairman, Amanju Pinnick, was an official at the just concluded AFCON tournament.
“He is expected to utilise the knowledge gained from the competition to reposition the Eagles,’’ she told newsmen.
Anthony Abbrey, A Ghanaian living in Abakaliki, hailed the Black Stars for “a splendid performance” after they were written-off by all when it lost its opening match to Senegal.
“I sympathise particularly with our soccer legend Abedi Pele, who was hoping that his two sons – Dede and Jordan – would win the cup to erase the sad memories of losing the cup to Cote D’Ivoire as the Black Stars skipper in 1992.”