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Dutch coach, Jo Bonfrere, has hit out at home-based Super Eagles coaches in the aftermath of Nigeria’s elimination from the 2020 African Nations Championship, (CHAN) by Hawks of Togo, Completesports.com reports.
The CHAN Eagles needed three goals, without conceding, on Saturday at the Agege Stadium, Lagos, to erase their first leg 4-1 defeat to Togo to seal fourth consecutive appearance in the Nations Cup for African players plying their trade on the continent, but could only win it 2-0.
Nigeria won bronze in her first appearance in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa, and silver in 2018 in Morocco.
In 2016 edition in Kigali, under coach Sunday Oliseh, the home- based Eagles did not fare beyond the group stage.
Though the Imama Amapakabo charges won 2-0 on the night against Togo, the result fell shy of upturning the deficit, meaning Nigeria crashed out on 3-4 aggregate and will not be part of the CHAN 2020 finals in Cameroon next January.
Bonfrere, who sat amongt the Agege Stadium crowd in company of two Chinese Scouts, told Completesports.com that the Eagles’ defeat was down to ‘tactical deficiency’ on the part of the Nigerian team.
“Yes, the [Eagles] tactics was wrong,” Bonfrere snapped when Completesports.com called him up.
“I was at the Agege Stadium. I saw the match. Togo knew Nigeria had good midfield especially after the two goals.
“They played the ball high up. Long balls in a crowd [of defenders] is not good, goals don’t come that way.
“So, they locked their defence, pushed up more players in the middle. And I thought, tactically, the Eagles didn’t get it right.
“When opponents fall back home in large numbers, defensively, you play from the wings, left, right.
“Nigeria had fast players and crosses would have unsettled Togo and goals would have come”.
Bonfrere has been in the country in the past week on a scouting mission.
He was in charge of Nigeria’s U-23 Dream Team 1 that won the football event of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the first time by an African team.
Four years later, he guided the Super Eagles to a silver medal feat at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.
By Sab Osuji
Pix: By Ganiyu Yusuf
25 Comments
I think people will now believe what i was crying for since the appointment of this Imama,i am still wondering how he got this job,he really have nothing to offer,no game plans his tactics are zero though his menboys called players are too lazy,that is why none of them will ever play in super eagles under a great coach
worst coach
Drey if you know football as par your research just to justify your argument then I will advice you to on Ghanaweb and read about the mishap going on in Ghana football. For them to create a normalization committee after the Anas exposee that led to the ban of GFA and disruption of their football calendar but yet all this never stopped them from performing. Only just recently have they started the electoral process to swear in a new GFA. But as I speak their new league season just like Nigeria league is yet to kick start.
I will humbly advice you to not argue for talk sake but rather let the truth of sportsmanship be first before you start writing. I choose not to argue that is why I have been quiet for a while now. But let me state it that Nigeria has failed in many ways with regards our handling of almost everything in the country and sports too have been affected only those with sincere mind can attest!
But whatever it is for a sport country like Nigeria losing to Togo 2 consecutive matches is a big no wether we prepare for 2 weeks only.
Oga Chima….. is it not the same failure some of us have been highlighting while some of you choose to ridicule people’s hardworks will baseless allegations which y’all cannot substantiate….???
What concerns me with your epistle of Anas and the normalization committee when it was same you who claimed Ghana has a non functional league at the moment while trying to prove that our inactivity is not the cause of our current underperformance at continental level but Imams Amakpakabo…?
What you deliberately hid from people on this forum to justify your warped one-sided school of thought which was simply maliciously meant to ridicule and undermine Mr Amapakabo was that Ghanaian club sides were still competing locally till the end of June while their chan team had a coach (Konadu) who called up players for camping as far back as beginning August……compare that to our own chan team which was non existent as at 1st of September.
Imama was confirmed as the chan coach in the 2nd week of September, players were called to camp (players of a league which had been inactive since May or thereabout) that same 2nd week of September for qualifiers that will be played on 20th September against a Togolese team that had been competing since July, winning qualifying matches home and away, and you and your twin brother expected we will go to their home and defeat them……bcos FIFA headquarters is located in Aba right…..? or maybe it is located in Okenne or Kotangora.
A sports country that doesn’t put preparations first will always be humiliated. Togo scored 3 goals in the last 15mins in that match in Lome playing 11 vs 11…..anybody that truely knows football would know that mental and physical fitness was lacking on the part of the loosing team, hence such a meltdown.
So within a week the team’s fitness levels will just rise for them to win WAFU abi…..bcos they are supposed add cocaine to their diets. Just kuku say we can wake up one morning, pick 11boys from the streets of Enugu and go and hammer any country home or away since real life football I like PlayStation or what do you people call these video games you play.
For your information, Ghana was dumped out of CHAN for the 2nd consecutive time by Burkina Faso. Theyve not beaten Bfaso in 4 attempts. Loosing 3 and drawing one.
So I don’t know in what constitution it is written that a sporting nation musnt loose matches even if they are ill prepared……or is ghana too not a footballing natioj….? is maxwell konadu too not qualified to be ghana chan coach….? Maybe we should blame imama for that too.
Niger eliminated CIV from CHAN…..it has to be Imama. Sengal WAFU champions yes the same Senegal that has been dominating the whole of African football for the past 2 years wouldn’t be at CHAN…..thanks to Guinea. Na Imama cause am too.
U23 Afcon is in 4 weeks time, if you and your brothers in NFF like, don’t start preparations this morning…..wait for 2weeks to the tournament and hope a sporting nation wouldn’t get whopped.
Asante Kotoko, just like our own enyimba couldn’t make it to the group phase of the CCL……Imama must be blamed for that too.
Abeg, Drey just keep your mouth shut and accept the fact that IMAMA is not a good coach. Simple! Abi Jonfere don turn Novice for where you dey?? The Experienced gaffer just clearly stated what a reasonable and better Coach should have done but your Senseless and deluded Imama doesn’t know what to do. Please NFF should Sack this Scammer called Imama before he rubs his in-deficiency on the Dream Team and Super Eagles. Kai, Coach Rohr is trying ooo. So, all through AFCON, Coach Rohr was the one performing both the Head Coach duties and Assistant all together yet people will come and be blaming the old man…God have mercy. Cuz it’s pretty clear this guy called IMAMA is just there to eat up money. He lacks Technical ability a hundred cent.
#Sack Imama Now!!
Hehehehe…pls come and shut my mouth na, since I wouldnt keep it shut. Lolz.
Bonfrere is definitely a novice, but just like many like him, its always easier to be on the sidelines and dish out analysis of what should and shouldnt have been done. I can recall Oliseh doing same and undermining Keshi and his team on supersport in 2013….Ngwa take SE and manage na, Pep Guardiola of Africa dragged us down to no 60 in the world.
Pls ask your experienced bonfrere if this his tactic worked when defeat was starring us in the face against Senegal in 2000 AFCON when we needed 1 goal to equalize and at least take the match to extra time…..ask him if it wasn’t His captain Oliseh who had to come on despite battling with malaria to throw his trade mark long ball behind the Senegalese defense from deep in our own half for Julius Aghahowa to latch onto and bury in the back of the net for our equalizer. Ask him if it wasnt another long ball by either Mutiu adepoju or Oliseh himself from deep in our half to ammunike that resulted in a squared pass for Aghahowa to bury for the winning goal in extratime.
Pls where was this his tactic when we needed half a goal to win Cameroon in the final of the same competition and win the trophy for keeps, after equalizing right at the start of the 2nd half…..or against the likes of Sierra leone and Liberia whom we lost to and the homebased Ghana team we forced to draw in Accra in the 2002 WCQ …..or at the Sydney 2000 Olympics when the likes of Honduras and Chile humiliated us.
Its always easier to talk on the sidelines……ask Gary Neville….LOLz
If NFF doesnt sack Imama, pls go and sack him yourself….lmao
…..Bonfrere is definitely not a novice…….
Hmmm…. remove Imama….. so many people said NFF should remove Imama. You are telling the most cocky and corrupted people to remove Imama, right? So who do you think they will put there again?
The current NFF board members must be fired. Starting from Amaju, Deko, Sheyi and so many of them have to go.
Imama, Salisu Yusuf and the NFF current NFF should vacate their offices. That is the only solution in my own opinion.
Do you think that Coach Rohr is the one that winning matches for Nigeria or the abilities of our foriegn base players that want to win for Nigeria as their home Country?
Don’t misquote me. I am not saying the coach is not trying his best but when it matter most, he always fails.
This is the bitter truth but I have to say it. So therefore, Sooner or later, Salisu Yusuf will be on board again because Nff are dictators. They don’t care.
Our coaches are not up to the task. Starting from Oga Rohr, Salisu Yusuf and so on.
Look at the way Mr. Jo bonfrere analyzed the match?
I’m wondering why we can’t find so many young Nigerian coaches that can be our coaches for all our national teams?
With rules and regulations, they won’t take bribe from no one anymore.Take Lagos state for example. Lagos state to be like the way it is today, that means Nigeria will be better if we are serious about the betterment of our Country.
However, not that we don’t have them but the bad people in charge of our football will never make it happened.
My suggestion, NFF should make Jo an assistant coach of coach Rohr if they can’t provide us a young Nigerian coach to be an assistant coach to coach Rohr.
God bless Nigeria!!!
“…..Do you think that Coach Rohr is the one that winning matches for Nigeria or the abilities of our foriegn base players that want to win for Nigeria as their home Country?….”
So Can we just simply agree that it was also the abilities of the players that made them loose to Madagascar, Algeria, SA, Argentina and all the other losses we have recorded thus far….and stop blaming the coach. Since he cant be credited for the victories recorded by the team, the it is not sensible to credit him for the losses.
It must also be the ability of the Portuguese players that made them loose to the same Ukraine that needed ojoro from their referee to force us to a draw in front of their fans. Clearly the abilities of SE players are far better than those of CR7 qand co……LMAO
Atlanta 1996 Olympic gold medal winning coach with Nigeria U-23 Eagles, Jo Bonfrere, has described the current Super Eagles team as more organised under Gernot Rohr.
Bonfrere made this known in a chat with cafonline.com.
“In Brazil (2014), the Super Eagles were poor,” Bonfrere who was assistant to countryman Clemence Westerhor when the Eagles qualified for USA 1994 World Cup remarked.
“Now there is organisation in the team because the coach has put a good Super Eagles team together,” The 2000 Africa Cup of Nations silver medal winner with the Super Eagles said.
This is for the oversabi people who claim Rohr is not impacting anything on the SE….lolz
Why do I suspect that NFF is trying to get Oga Jo Bonfrere a coaching job in our national team?
Let’s wait and see how the drama unfolds.
The tactics he used against Zimbabwe den. 4 0 was the score.
And which one did Imama use to beat libya 4-0 and Sudan 5-0….???
@Dr drey you allways souporta failure why?. The truth is that imama is not capable to handle that team we have better coaches in nigeria he is there because of the curroption in nff. stop souporting failure we are nigerians we have every right to say our opinion. Football is the only thing that give us joy and make us feel like one nigeria. Am a buissnes man I base in Gambia they respect me a lot here because am from 9ja our football has gone beyond africa we will continue saying the truth till they stop playing politics with our football.
Hehehehe…to whom much is given, much is expected.
You dont send your child to school, you dont enrol him for home lessons, you dont buy books for him to study at home…yet you want him to beat all his mates who have been studying and preparing for months.
I dont support failure, but I dont also scold a child who didnt pass because I didnt give him all he needs to pass.
In Gambia where you live, I dont know if they raise a team from scratch within 2 weeks to go and face other teams who have been competing for 3 months with success. But what i know is that football is not magic, you get what you put in.
We have better coaches in Nigeria that can handle the team…..pls name them….Name the better coaches anywhere in the world that moulds teams into finished products in 2 weeks. I’ll seriously love to meet them. Lolz.
@ Drey
I share your sentiments and I must be candid with you, you have my respect for trying to defend,in this case, the indefensible, Imama.
You would agree with that Imama hasn’t really helped his cause by losing almost all his away games and back to back defeats to Togo,losing to Cape Verde, and also failing to qualify for the Chan in the process.
Yes.the conditions laid out for Imama wasn’t favourable going into the campaign but he knew about these conditions yet he accepted the job.
You can’t blame anyone for that but Imama.
Yes.the league wasn’t in section,Imama knows this,that means the players were totally free for training, what stopped him from getting his selected boys to camp in a much earlier date since they were free?
If the FA didn’t support him with that,he could have simply walk away.
I tend to believe Imama wants to eat his cake and have it,and we can’t blame anyone but him for that.
Besides on the field of play,Imama hasn’t really done too well, his results have been in swing mood if I could use the term; he loses heavily away and wins at home. That doesn’t give you a lot of trust in his tactical ability.
I know it is easier to criticize from the outside,but I dear say Bonfrere has earned the right to criticize and give corrections especially to a person like Imama. You would agree with me that Bonfrere has won laurels for this nation be it as an assistant to Westerhof and on his own. Notwithstanding how he won those laurels and what happened after he won them.
For me,Imama goofed on this. Every coach is as good as his last game and his last games haven’t been impressive enough,And I am not confident in his potential.
Yes.the FA is totally a mess,but it is no longer news. Everyone knows how difficult it is to work in the Nigerian football space; but it is in such tough situation, tough men show grit; point in hand Gernot Rohr.
Thanks Mr Hush for you point of view.
Actually I’m not against anyone blaming Imama. Anyone should feel free to do so. At least that will ease their pains a bit.
But I’ll just wanna engage you on this lines….”…..Yes.the league wasn’t in section, Imama knows this,that means the players were totally free for training, what stopped him from getting his selected boys to camp in a much earlier date since they were free…”.
Can I ask you a few questions…….Is it the Coach of the national team that opens camp for the team…? (Bcos this is like the 3rd time you are saying something like that.)
Pls….ab initio who was supposed to be the coach of the Home based and U23 eagles…..Salisu Yusuf.
https://www.completesports.com/nff-name-new-coaches-olympic-eagles-flying-eagles-golden-eaglets/
https://www.completesports.com/nff-reinstates-salisu-in-super-eagles-coaching-crew-after-one-year-ban/
This link is from our dear CSN dated 12th September 2019 – So as at the 12th of September, Salisu was still coach designate of the team to face Togo in Lome on the on the 21st of same September (less than 10 days in between)…as at this time we had practically NO TEAM….I mean NO TEAM on ground. Imama had no business with CHAN then and was just minding his U23 jeje.
In the words of FA officials, “……The 57-year-old (salisu) is now expected to be in charge of the home-based Super Eagles side that will feature at the 2019 WAFU Cup of Nations in Senegal later this month. The team will also face the Hawks of Togo in a 2020 CHAN qualifiers….”
A day after, 13th september, this piece of news broke out….
https://www.completesports.com/amapakabo-not-salisu-will-continue-as-olympic-eagles-coach-nff-chieftain/
At this point (8 days to the qualifiers)….CHAN team wasnt still in the picture yet for Amakpakabo. No CHAN team was on ground yet…..no definite coach yet (9 days to the qualifiers)
By the 17th September, 2019 (4 days to the qualifiers)
https://www.completesports.com/chan-2020-qualifier-amapakabo-leads-home-eagles-against-togo-in-lome/
That was when it became clear to all and sundry, including Imama himself, that he would be leading the team.
So pls…at what point did he OWN the CHAN team for him to have ‘selected boys to camp in a much earlier date since they were free’…???
I really want to know those magician coaches who can be seconded to a non-existing team 10 days before a qualifier and then they will just build teams that will flog everyone on their way…..I’ll be glad if anyone can give me names. Bcos I hope to start a soccer academy very soon and I need such coaches so that my Academy can break-even within its first 6 months.
I leave you to ponder on these…!
Thanks Mr Hush for you point of view.
Actually I’m not against anyone blaming Imama. Anyone should feel free to do so. At least that will ease their pains a bit.
But I’ll just wanna engage you on this lines….”…..Yes.the league wasn’t in section, Imama knows this,that means the players were totally free for training, what stopped him from getting his selected boys to camp in a much earlier date since they were free…”.
Can I ask you a few questions…….Is it the Coach of the national team that opens camp for the team…? (Bcos this is like the 3rd time you are saying something like that.)
Pls….ab initio who was supposed to be the coach of the Home based and U23 eagles…..Salisu Yusuf.
wwwDOTcompletesportsDOTcom/nff-name-new-coaches-olympic-eagles-flying-eagles-golden-eaglets/
wwwDOTcompletesportsDOTcom/nff-reinstates-salisu-in-super-eagles-coaching-crew-after-one-year-ban/
This link is from our dear CSN dated 12th September 2019 – So as at the 12th of September, Salisu was still coach designate of the team to face Togo in Lome on the on the 21st of same September (less than 10 days in between)…as at this time we had practically NO TEAM….I mean NO TEAM on ground. Imama had no business with CHAN then and was just minding his U23 jeje.
In the words of FA officials, “……The 57-year-old (salisu) is now expected to be in charge of the home-based Super Eagles side that will feature at the 2019 WAFU Cup of Nations in Senegal later this month. The team will also face the Hawks of Togo in a 2020 CHAN qualifiers….”
A day after, 13th september, this piece of news broke out….
wwwDOTcompletesportsDOTcom/amapakabo-not-salisu-will-continue-as-olympic-eagles-coach-nff-chieftain/
At this point (8 days to the qualifiers)….CHAN team wasnt still in the picture yet for Amakpakabo. No CHAN team was on ground yet…..no definite coach yet (9 days to the qualifiers)
By the 17th September, 2019 (4 days to the qualifiers)
wwwDOTcompletesportsDOTcom/chan-2020-qualifier-amapakabo-leads-home-eagles-against-togo-in-lome/
That was when it became clear to all and sundry, including Imama himself, that he would be leading the team.
So pls…at what point did he OWN the CHAN team for him to have ‘selected boys to camp in a much earlier date since they were free’…???
I really want to know those magician coaches who can be seconded to a non-existing team 10 days before a qualifier and then they will just build teams that will flog everyone on their way…..I’ll be glad if anyone can give me names. Bcos I hope to start a soccer academy very soon and I need such coaches so that my Academy can break-even within its first 6 months.
I leave you to ponder on these…!
@mr hush trurth is life you will live long. @dr drey Bonfre jo remains one of the best coach in nigeria football history you cant compare him with your father GR and your elder brother imama. Wining olympic gold medal is like wining world cup he was a fantastic coach i respect him till date.
He is no different from all those who won trophies for us at Under-this or Under-that with old men masquerading as youngsters, but couldn’t translate it to success at the Senior national team level. The last time I checked he couldn’t qualify us for the WC in 2002. And I’m not sure he was baptized to only coach Nigeria, let him go and replicate his Atlanta 96 feat elsewhere in Senior Football.
@ Dr Drey
Thanks for the references.
I guess you would make a good lawyer(if you aren’t one already..)..
But I still think,Imama goofed when he accepted the job.
He knew the risk at hand.
It could have gone both ways.
If Imama was successful and qualified,I am sure we would be singing his praises for taking the job in such condition and performing ‘miracles’.
So now he failed,he knows he would be taken the backlashes.
It is what it is.
It is part of the football game,as it relates to coaching.
Every coach is as good as the last game.and that’s why coaches are always sceptical taken over teams already in relegation battles; they know the consequences of failing in such conditions,no matter the condition.
It is a dog eat dog world out there in the coaching Field,and Imama just fell under the bus by his own doing..
And to digress a little.
I still think you should give a little bit of props to Bonfrere Jo.
Yes.the olmypics isn’t as major as the national team,but it is still something major in our football history.
Besides,he took over Nigeria after the FIFA ban and still took us to the finals of the Afcon,Albeit in home soil; winning a silver medal( and we all know how we lost the gold);
Yes.He ended abruptly but he still has laurels for us.
He needs a little bit of respect.
Just my point brother…
Brothers all to these arguments is unnecessary what we should be doing now is routing for ezes inclusion to SE for our next match our slogan should be give us eze
Eze, Eze, Eze, give us Eze!
Eze, Eze, Eze, give us Eze!
Eze, Eze, Eze, give us Eze!
Give us Ebere Eze, osiso! Time no dey!
Eze oooo
Ebere Ese oooo
Give super eagles Eze oooo
Abeg ooo
Na real playmaker be this ooo
See confidence , see technical abilities
Abeg o NFF, give us Eze oooo before e too late oooo
Dr drey your stubornes will not even alow you to respect great boffrey. The biggest trophy nigeria ever achieved is the olympics. And you are sounding like you dont remember our that day transformed africa football. I dont think you are a true fan. I think u are on this furum to play with peoples emotions.. anyway join us to call Eze oooooh