Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick has defended the choice of Joseph Yobo as assistant coach of the senior national team, amid a huge public outcry over his appointment last week.
The former captain, 39, replaces Imama Amapakabo and is expected to work with manager Gernot Rohr as third in command.
But some fans and a section of the local media have questioned the decision to appoint Yobo saying he ‘lacks the right qualifications’.
“The concept behind this is to nurture and condition former captain Joseph Yobo to provide leadership and mentorship for the young team,” Pinnick said.
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“He has an incredible experience playing for some of Europe’s biggest clubs. He is one of our most-capped players ever and also won the Nations Cup.
“I believe that as Nigerians we have a chance to make a positive step forward and it’s important to give him the opportunity to succeed,” Pinnick told BBC Sport.
His country’s second most capped player, Yobo won the first of his 100 caps for Nigeria against Zambia in Chingola in 2001.
The former Everton, Fenerbahce and Norwich City star, who represented his country at the 1999 Under-20 World Cup, skippered the Super Eagles to Africa Cup of Nations success in South Africa in 2013.
9 Comments
Well said pinnick.
Laying down structures to defend you when you’re out of NFF; an act of self-preservation, pure and simple. We know.
Yobo needs no paper qualification or coaching experience to assist with the Super Eagles. What coaching experience did Mitchel Platini have before being named coach for France, and what about Zidan at Real Madrid or Diego Maradona as Argentina coach or even Diego Simeon of Athletico Madrid?
The problem with Nigeria is that we like paper qualification over practical knowledge. Yobo has plenty of real big time playing experience that Nigeria needs especially at defense. Besides, we need to start grooming our next generation of real professional tactical coaches with playing experience. Not to follow blindly, but Americans value practical experience more that paper qualifications and rightfully so. Most American coache’s do not carry any coaching degrees or special training other than the experience acquired in competitive playing days. America excels in most sports because of this as a contributing factor.
Is playing experience same thing as coaching experience? If u had played football, I guess you’d answer me correctly…
You see how ignorant you are….? Empty barrels always making the loudest noises. You think the rest of the world are foolish like our NFF who will employ people without requisite qualifications and experience into top jobs…? You think they can be as stupid as we are in Africa to always sacrifice sentiments on the alter of meritocracy…??
Zidane had his UEFA pro licence before he was given real Madrid team C (Madrid Castilla) to coach. Afterwards he was promoted to the reserves for a short while before finally getting promoted to the senior team.
Maradona had coached several clubs in his homeland and also in the middle East before being given the Argentine national team to handle. Actually he had been into coaching for almost a decade before he took up the albiceste.
Platini that was rushed into coaching, how did it end..? Non qualification for Italia 90 and 1st round elimination from Euro 92. Have you seen or heard of him near the touchline ever since…?? Maybe that’s what you wish for Yobo too…. premature entry and premature exit from coaching.
Simeone had coached 5 clubs previously in Argentina and Italy (Including River plate and Catania) and also had a UEFA pro license before being give athletico Madrid to handle. He had been coaching since 2005, a whole 8 years coaching experience before he was approached by real Madrid.
In one moment you praise Americans for valuing practical experience, yet you commend hiring someone with Zero practical coaching experience, someone with no coaching training, certification or licence, someone who isn’t even a coach at all, as the 2nd in command of the national team of Nigeria.
And where did you get that FAT LiE that American coaches do not carry any degrees or training or any coaching experience before taking crucial roles in professional clubs…??? Maybe you are talking of other sports, so Pls name one coach in the MLS or USL who is not certified or licensed or who was employed simply because he was an ex footballer…??? pls name just ONE Pls tell us when a man without coaching experience or practice or training has ever been named in the technical crew of the USMNT….? Pls name JUST ONE.
Pls name one club in Europe who has someone with zero certification or licence or experience as manager or assistant manager….? When Chelsea was looking for a coach, why didn’t they employ John Terry their most respected player of all time…? Why did they not employ Drogba their all time top scorer…? Why did they go for Lampard..? Why didn’t man u go for Beckham when they needed a coach…? Why did they not go for Giggs their all time record holder for most appearances in the EPL…? Why did they go for Ole Gunner Solskjaer…..???
If playing experience was enough, why did players who were far greater and more victorious in football than Yobo go for coaching training after their playing careers…? Why did world cup and serial champions leagues winners Xavi, Henry, Zidane, Kluivert, Seedorf, Lampard, Terry etc all go back to the classrooms to learn coaching. Oh…maybe Yobo Sabi football pass them. Yobo must have played more football and played under better managers than them.
Even when employers what to employ workers, they demand certification plus few years of experience OR no certification but 7-10 years of proven experience.
We have learnt to come to terms that a bad precedence has been set with this crap of an appointment. I won’t be surprised one day if a Journalist like mumumi also or Larry izamoje is employed as super eagles coach simply because they have covered football for over 30 years.
But people should stop coming to tell us FAT LIES here to justify stupidity.
Paper or no paper. Yobo is better than GR.
See them…….
What is GH still doing in this country? I don’t know only Corrupt NFF and Pinnick knows the answer.
GR*