Daniel Amokachi, a former Super Eagles forward, has revealed the true nature of Nigerian football to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
Amokachi feels the NFF would continue to go in circles unless the basic flaws in the country’s football system are addressed.
He believes the NFF places too much emphasis on coaching, comparing it to building a home from the roof down rather than laying the proper foundation.
Following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar after losing an away goal to Ghana’s Black Stars in March, Augustine Eguavoen stood down as temporary coach of the Super Eagles, according to the Nigeria Football Federation.
The NFF is presently in the process of searching for a new head coach that will manage Nigeria’s national team.
The NFF is close to appointing former Cameroon head coach, Antonio Conceicao, to take charge of the national team.
The federation announced new assistant coaches for the team on Thursday, with the position of head coach still vacant.
But Amokachi believes coaches will not solve the team’s problems, insisting that larger structural issues affecting football in the country need attention.
“Focusing too much on coaching is like building a house from the roof downwards instead of starting with the right foundation and building upwards,” Amokachi told BBC Sport Africa.
“Do we have a solid developmental programme for our young footballers, a proper long-term plan for our national teams, or develop a football identity for the game in our country?
“I am a product of the Nigerian league. But have we sorted out all the issues around our domestic game, from players’ welfare to the lack of television rights and the chaos around the organisation of local football.
“I said something about our over-reliance on Nigerian footballers in the diaspora, which was misreported in the media.
“My point is that when you consistently rely on players developed and trained by other nations to play for you, then you have seriously failed in your important role of building the future stars.
“There are bigger issues that have long bedevilled the Nigerian game and until we fix them, we will just be moving in a circle.”
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