Barring a last minute reversal Belgian tactician Tom Saintfeit will be named as the new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, a job he claimed he was denied by then president of the Nigeria Football Federation Amaju Pinnick.
“Yes, in 2012 first of all, the minister of sports decided he wanted a local coach when I was already announced as the new technical adviser chosen by the technical committee at that time, which had (Austin) Okocha, Garba Lawal, and Christopher Green. Again in 2016, I was close to the job, I was to get the job with the local coach Salisu Yusuf, but they chose Paul Le Guen for the job”, Tom Saintfiet was quoted as saying.
“He refused and it would have been normal that I would have been there with Yusuf. I considered myself as the second or third choice, but it was Amaju Pinnick who didn’t follow the technical committee’s decision and went for Gernot Rohr, who was not shortlisted; it was a big disappointment.
“Then I went to Bangladesh and got a lucrative offer for a short term, but the ambition was always there to coach Nigeria and guide them to a successful AFCON and also guide them to World Cup success.”
The above were the words of Tom Saintfeit in April 2023 during an interview with the online edition of Punch newspaper. Although Pinnick later denied the claims made by the 51 year old.
This time around, the coach who is presently in charge of the Philippines wasn’t the anointed choice of the technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with Malian coach Eric Chelle picked ahead of him and former Manchester United assistant coach Steve McClaren.
Talks on engaging Chelle broke down due to a disagreement on the composition of his backroom staff. He was said to have demanded total control in who works with him using his experience in his last job with Mali as a reason why he wants more control.
His request didn’t go down well with the hierarchy of the NFF, who are notorious for wanting to impose players and also backroom staff on coaches of the national team of Nigeria.
Saintfeit who was second in the recommendation made by the technical committee kept his faith and despite the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Musa Gusau refusing to meet his representatives, the coach still didn’t throw in the towel.
Gusau went after Herve Renard, but the coach who recently left his role as coach of the women’s team of France declined the offer citing the poor pay offered by the NFF, which fell below his minimum salary of $1.5m a year.
It left the NFF with no choice than to turn to the two times CAF coach of the year nominee, who as expected was excited to be finally getting the chance of getting his dream job.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
