After deliberating for close to seven hours yesterday, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) surprised many ball followers when it named James Peters as interim coach for the Super Eagles.
The announcement, read by the head of the FA’s Technical Committee, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi, caught many by surprise because of the media frenzy and hype that had preceded the Board meeting and the choice of coach for the senior national team.
In a way the FA had added to the hype when it told the whole world that they would be naming a coach after their board meeting yesterday.
But the day ended in a whimper when the FA announced that the report of their technical committee was not ready and as such they could not take a decision on such a sensitive issue.
However, it is widely believed that the Board opted to have an interim sweat merchant after failing to settle on which of the four coaches short listed by the technical committee should be selected.
The four whittled down from the 12 interviewed over two days by the committee included Stephen Keshi, Shaibu Amodu, Sunday Oliseh and Samson Siasia.
In the build up to the Board meeting, many of the members had appeared to be in favour of handing over the senior team to the coach of the Dream Team – Siasia, but had wondered how he would be able to handle both assignments.
It appears the decision is a way around it since it means Siasia would be able to concentrate on Beijing 2008 and should his team do well will be in pole position to step up to the senior team.
Reading a communique following the FA Board meeting, Technical Committee chairman Taiwo Ogunjobi said: "The Technical Committee's report is not ready and James Peters, Assistant Secretary General (Technical) in the NFA will, in the interim, oversee matters of the national senior team."
Peters' will oversee the Super Eagles for at least the next one month, when a substantive coach is expected to be picked from the four recommended to the board by its Technical Committee.
The board, however, did make appointments for the Under-17 and Under-20 national teams.
Former Enyimba coach Alphonsus Dike was appointed to head the Golden Eaglets. He will be assisted by Manu Garba and Yisa Sofoluwe.
Isa Ladan Bosso was retained for the Flying Eagles. Ben Iroha was moved up to assist him along with Salisu Abubakar.
Peters, who was assistant to Chief Adegboye Onigbinde at the 1984 Nations Cup finals in Cote d’Ivoire, left the country after a disappointing outing at the Africa Youth Championships in Mauritius in 1993.
He returned three years later as an assistant to Phillipe Troussier, who successfully guided the Super Eagles to the World Cup finals at France’98. Peters, a one-time BCC Lions handler, later acted as NFA technical director after the resignation of Chief Kashimawo Laloko.
Peters later took a long hiatus to the US and only returned last year to apply for the assistant technical director’s job at the Glass House.
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