Former Nigeria goalkeeper Ndubuisi Egbo has been named coach of the year and sports personality of the year in Albania, reports Completesports.com.
Egbo guided SK Tirana to win their 25th Albanian League title in the 2019/20 season, the first Nigerian and African coach to achieve the feat.
The 47-year-old tactician also made history as the fisst African to manage a team in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.
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Egbo was relieved of his duties in November 2020 after a string of poor performances from his side, where they managed three wins in their last 11 games across all competitions.
The former Al Masry of Egypt goalie also enjoyed success as a player with Tirana during his stay between 2001 and 2004, winning the Albanian Cup, Super Cup and Superliga before returning to the club as coach in 2014.
He had 12 caps for Nigeria and was part of the West African side that went to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002.
By Adeboye Amosu
8 Comments
Congratulations coach Egbo
U may be down but u are not out yet coach Egbo…..
Millions have watched & heared about u…..
The real fan of SUPER EAGLE are waiting for u to come and put smiles on our faces when ROHR steps down…
Was Egbo’s sack rational?
Let’s face it, surpassing his own record from the previous season was always going to be a tall order. Still, the sacking of Ndubuisi Egbo by Tirana FC in November 2020 seemed most premature and pretty harsh to me.
At least, his achievements have been recognised in a manner in which one would have expected of a club where he served diligently in various capacities as a player, trainer, stand in coach and then full manager spanning over 10 years.
Being named coach and sports personality of the year in Albania is a fitting acknowledgement for the feat of phenomenal accomplishment pulled off by Egbo in winning the 19/20 Albanian Premier League considering where the was when he took over.
Winning no less than 16 out of 21 league games to drag Tirana out of relegation waters into becoming eventual league champions was a phenomenal accomplishment in itself.
Sadly, 5 losses in 8 games in the 20/21 season was seen as unacceptable by the club leading to Egbo’s sack.
But, was he given enough chance to turn things around? Afterall, he still won 3 games in that period. Moreover, what I found puzzling the most was that only 2 of those games were league matches: games against KF Teuta and KF Kukesi in which Egbo recorded 1 win and 1 loss.
For me, this has to be unprecedented! Sacking a coach that led the team to league title the previous season after just 2 games in which he won 1 has to be ludicrous. It would seem as if crashing out of the Champions League and losses in cup competitions were too painful for the Tirana board to swallow.
Since Egbo’s sack, Tirana have won just 2 matches out of 10 and are currently languishing in 6th position (which won’t be good enough for champions league qualification next season if they end up there).
Where are their priorities?
“I don’t have any regrets or disappointment because I gave the maximum,” was how Egbo maturely responded to being sacked at the time.
And why should he? Leading the team to the league title, winning a European Champions League qualification match and having a long unbeaten record last season are milestones that Egbo can look back on with much pride, more so as an African.
Congratulations coach Egbo. I believe so much in our ex players but it is very painful that NFF doesn’t think that way.
Instead, they keep hiring average coaches both foriegn and local coaches are not convincing Nigerians because if you don’t tune they will mess you up. They keep ignoring the best while the incompetent ones are serving our nation.
What are the NFF waiting for when we have Amunike and Egbo?
Are they not good enough or qualified to be the next Super Eagles?
We also have Enyeama and Ikeme to be the next goal keeper trainers but while this NFF are doing this to our Country?
It is well. God bless Nigeria!!!
“…Instead, they keep hiring average coaches both foreign and local coaches are not convincing Nigerians because if you don’t tune…”
“what are NFF waiting for when we have Amunike and Egbo?”
the other day i was busy singing your praise thinking u have finally change only for u to return to your vomit with your normal “UNCORDINATED & DISJOINTED” comment…..
You said local coaches are not convincing until u tune them, at the same time u want NFF to employ EGBO, AMUNIKE, ENYEAMA, IKEME…..
Oga abeg are these ones foreign coaches????
How can u be saying two different things at the same time….. (local coaches are not good but u want AMUNIKE, ENYEAMA, EGBO et all)
I pity the people that takes your comment serious on this forum….
@UBFE try to understand by reading between to lines. You will deduce the point omoniaja Is making. He was really stating the obvious that both the super eagles and the underaged teams of Nigeria has failed owing to incompetent coaches as a result of biased selection. With what the Amaju administration is doing they are killing our talents with this their abandonment of the developing the leave and selecting the right young boys devoid of social, ethnic or political affiliations. They rather are busy going around UK disgracing themselves by begging not good enough one season wonders who cannot make the team of their place of birth after they know that their last option for international football. That is why I have every administrative processes in this country. Let’s call a spade a spade and shovel a working material
@Ugwudede, God bless you for breaking my points down one by one for Mr. UBFE to comprehend and God will give you more wisdom and knowledge. I hope you understood my analysis @UBFE ba?
“You said local coaches are not convincing until u tune them, at the same time u want NFF to employ EGBO, AMUNIKE, ENYEAMA, IKEME…..”
Does that mean all the Foreign
and indigenous coaches are bad?
They, NFF didn’t choose the right coaches to represent our Country period.
However, @UBFE, you didn’t get my points but I’m so happy that
Ugwudede did get all the points I made on this topic.
“The other day i was busy singing your praise thinking u have finally change only for u to return to your vomit with your normal “UNCORDINATED & DISJOINTED” comment…..”
Ah, lolz. Thanks for appreciating the work of God over me but I will appreciate it more if NFF hire
Amunike
Egbo
Enyeama
Ikeme as the new gaffers of the Super Eagles this year.
@UBFE if you remember, Late Keshi won Afcon and made it to the second round at the world cup.
Coach Chukwu and other local coaches won silver medals severally for this nation if I’m not mistaken.
Sia1 won silver and Bronze medals at the Olympic games.
While Coach Manu Garba and Amunike won the under17 trophy respectively.
My point here is, apart from world cup trophy that our local coaches are trying to win, which foriegn coaches also failed to win can be won by our own people if they are properly managed by the NFF.
Oh well. God bless Nigeria!!!
@Omo Naija,
Amuneke and Egbo are not igbos.
So they must not be given a chance except they are ready to assist Malam Salish or any northerner