Odegbami: Why Siasia should avoid any role in the Super Eagles for now

Former Nigeria international winger, ‘Mathematical’ Segun Odegbami has warned Samson Siasia not to accept any Super Eagles job for now, following his return to coaching after serving a five-year ban from FIFA.

In 2019, Samson Siasia was suspended by FIFA for 5 years following unsubstantiated charges of corruption against him.
Having served the suspension, he is now free to return to football.

Odegbami acknowledges that Siasia is eminently qualified to handle the team again but believes now is not the right time for him to take up the vacant position in any capacity.

‘He (Siasia) may have been penciled down as part of an interim consortium of coaches headed by Director of the Technical Department of the NFF, Austin Eguavoen, to handle the Super Eagles should a foreign coach not be hired in the next week. That arrangement is laden with danger for Samson.

‘Should the team fail to win, his name will be added to those of other ‘failed’ Nigerian coaches and the door to a future as head of the Super Eagles will be slammed in his face,’ Odegbami wrote in his column in the Guardian newspaper and Complete Sports.

Odegbami is however flabbergasted why the Nigeria Football Federation has not announced a substantive coach for the Super Eagles since Finidi George resigned from the post.

‘It is a done deal that the Nigerian Football Federation have settled for hiring another White man from Europe to handle the Super Eagles. Some of those that are close to the corridors have been mentioning two names as the most likely candidates.

Why the announcement has not been made with a few weeks to the most crucial series of matches that will determine the country’s fate in the African Cup of Nations in 2025, and the World Cup of 2026, no one knows.

A good reason may already have been created for the Super Eagles should they fail to win,’ he wrote.