So it appears that Sven is in talks to take on the Ivory Coast job. You know how I feel about that already. But this is really getting out of control. I can sympathize with a guy trying desperately to get a job. We all know that it’s hard out there these days for international managers. But seriously, Sven will take anything right now. Ivory Coast, have some self-respect. (more…)
Nigeria has appointed Swede Lars Lagerback as their new national team coach on a five-month contract. I’m still trying to figure out why. I wrote an earlier piece about African nations’ perpetual need to hire foreigners to lead African teams. With the firing of Nigerian Shaibu Amodu, there’s only one remaining African coach poised to lead a side at Africa’s first World Cup, Algeria’s Rabah Saadane.
This isn’t about xenophobia. It is about understanding why African FAs always end up paying so much money to foreigners who, more often than not, end up turning in the same results as local coaches.
Over the past few decades, the Nigerian coaching job has been just about as stable as the Nigerian Presidency. (more…)
We’ll have a piece on this later in the week, but thought we’d throw this out now. Nigeria just appointed Swede Lars Lagerback to coach the national team on a five month contract, which obviously runs through the World Cup. Why do coaches with no experience in Africa keep getting appointed to lead African sides? Foreign coaches haven’t exactly had mind blowing results leading African sides, but they sure get paid a lot, and ultimately fired like everyone else.
As it stands, there will only be two African head coaches at Africa’s first World Cup. The Nigeria Football Federation is standing by current Super Eagles coach, Shaibu Amodu, in the face of calls to hire a foreign coach. Taiwo Ogunjobi, Head of the NFF’s Technical Committee, has correctly noted that “[Taiwo] has one of the best records in qualifying. Even some of those that they are calling to replace him have not done better than him. So why should we reward them for their failure and punish him for his success?”
It is well documented that many local African coaches do not have experience in top level coaching environments outside of the continent. Algeria’s Rabah Saadane, the other African coach currently in charge of a World Cup side, is a perfect example. Saadane has a world of experience in African football. However, armed with almost exclusively continental experience, Saadane’s major challenge will be adapting to the multitude of global styles represented in the 32-team World Cup field. But as people focus on the lack of experience in the local, African coaching ranks, it is important to highlight that there are also countless foreign coaches who have accepted lucrative pay packages to lead developing nations who seldom bring a level of success commensurate with their pay. (more…)
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