EXCLUSIVE:Dr Amos Adamu Blasts NFF Over Coaches, Calls for Immediate Changes

EXCLUSIVE:Dr Amos Adamu Blasts NFF Over Coaches, Calls for Immediate Changes

Ohis Asein

Former FIFA and CAF Executive Committee Member, Dr Amos Adamu, has criticised the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for allowing coaches who, in his assessment, have failed to deliver results to remain in charge of the various national teams.

Speaking exclusively tofaksmedia.comin a telephone interview on Friday, Adamu questioned why coaches who fail to achieve their primary objectives are allowed to remain in their positions.

“How can a coach who could not qualify Nigeria for the World Cup still remain in his position? Sack him and bring someone else. The same applies to all the national teams,” Adamu said.

The former Director-General of the National Sports Commission argued that Nigeria has an abundance of football talent across the world, but expressed concern that retaining underperforming coaches could result in the continuous selection of the same players without meaningful improvement.

“Let me tell you, Nigeria has a bunch of talents around the world. But as long as coaches who are not bringing results remain, they will continue to invite the same set of players that are not giving results,” he said.

According to Adamu, a new coach should be willing to make significant changes after taking over, particularly when his predecessor has been removed because of poor performance.

“When you have a new coach, he will make a lot of changes in the team, knowing the reasons why his predecessor was sacked. He will definitely not repeat the same pattern or continue with the same players,” he explained.

Adamu also wondered why there is widespread dissatisfaction among Nigerian football stakeholders with the current NFF leadership.

“Let me ask you, why do you think everyone is not happy with the NFF? It is because the national teams are not performing well. Nigerians love football and they want to win because they know the position Nigeria occupies in world football.”

He further questioned how Nigeria could fail to qualify for the FIFA World Cup after playing all its qualifying matches in a group that he described as favourable.

“How can a coach play all the qualifiers in a group of minnows and you couldn't qualify? Fire him and bring someone else,” he declared.

Reacting to growing calls from some football stakeholders for the resignation of the present NFF Board, Adamu said he also shares the frustration of Nigerians over the country's declining results.

“As a Nigerian, I also feel the pain of not getting results. No World Cup back-to-back, even when the number of participating countries has increased to 48. Nigeria is not there. Our under-age teams are also underperforming,” he said.

He concluded that Nigerians have every right to demand better performances because of their passion for football and the country's rich history and status in the global game.