Former Super Eagles coach and captain, Sunday Oliseh has renewed his criticism of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over its continued preference for foreign head coaches, calling the practice unfair and unnecessary.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Sports on Sunday, Oliseh, a former Juventus and Borussia Dortmund midfielder, insisted that there are enough qualified indigenous coaches who are capable of managing the national team.
“I am totally against having that role not being handed over to a Nigerian because we have qualified Nigerians who can do that job,” Oliseh stated.
His comments come months after the NFF appointed French-born former Mali international, Éric Chelle as the new Super Eagles head coach in January 2025.
Chelle replaced interim coach Augustine Eguavoen and remains unbeaten in charge of the three-time African champions, with three wins and two draws so far, including a 1-1 draw with Russia in June.
Oliseh, who briefly managed the team in 2015, also took aim at what he called an “anomaly” in the team’s leadership structure, lamenting the trend of captains not being part of the starting lineup.
“You can’t have that. You can’t have your captain sitting on the bench. In other words, you are saying it is an assistant that is leading the team,” he argued.
The remarks appear to be a veiled reference to current captain Ahmed Musa, who recently returned to the national team for the first time since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Musa featured briefly in the 2-1 win over Ghana during the 2025 Unity Cup, coming on as a substitute in the 62nd minute before leaving camp to attend his wedding.
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