Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to give Eric Chelle complete control over player selection and management, arguing that Nigeria’s football administrators must allow the coach to make the decisions that determine what happens on the pitch, Footynaija.com reports.
The debate over the coach’s authority comes as Chelle continues to assess his options in the national team. His September squad announcements included separate selections for Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the friendly against Russia, with a number of less familiar players given opportunities for the latter fixture.
That experiment produced a 3-3 draw in Nizhny Novgorod on October 6, after Nigeria came back from two goals down. The performance offered Chelle a chance to assess players outside his regular group, while also showing the importance of having room to make technical decisions based on what he sees in training and matches.
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For Oliseh, however, the principle goes beyond individual selections. The former midfielder believes the NFF must define its role clearly and stop short of decisions that belong to the coaching staff.
Oliseh draws a boundary between coaches and administrators
Speaking on Brila FM, Oliseh said a team needed clear leadership, with the head coach responsible for managing the players and deciding who represents the country.
“The manager has to be the manager,” he said. “When it comes to player management, it has to be the manager’s responsibility.”
As reported by The Nation, Oliseh argued that the federation should concentrate on the work required to support the team, including infrastructure, commercial development, logistics and administration, rather than claim credit for results achieved by players and coaches.
He said success on the pitch belonged to those directly involved in the football, while administrators should be judged on how well they provide the conditions for the team to work.
Oliseh captained Nigeria at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, where the Super Eagles finished as runners-up, and was part of the team that won bronze in 2002. He later coached the national side from 2015 to 2016, giving him experience of the demands placed on a coach as well as a player.
His message to the NFF is that Chelle should be allowed to carry the responsibility that comes with the job. The federation still has an important role in running Nigerian football, but Oliseh believes player selection and management must remain the coach’s responsibility.
