5th September, 2015
Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi, former Secretary-General, Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), has pleaded with Nigerians to give Sunday Oliseh, the Super Eagles Head Coach, more time to succeed.
Ogunjobi spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview on Saturday following the Super Eagles 0-0 draw with Tanzania in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier played in Dar es Salaam.
He said that though the goalless draw was not what the country bargained for, Nigerians should give the team more time to improve with their remaining matches.
“We need to give them time, let’s see what will happen; thank God we played out a 0-0 draw but we need them to do better next time.
“Football is not mathematics; we wanted a win in Dar es Salaam but what happened is beyond our imagination.
“However, we are still going to meet Egypt, home and away and with what Chad did when they came to Nigeria, I don’t think it will be easy for Egypt to beat them.
“At the end of the day, I still see the Eagles qualifying,’’ he said.
Ogunjobi, who was also a former NFF Technical Committee chairman, said there was hope for a new Super Eagles following the discovery of goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.
He commended Ikeme’s performance in the match, noting that he did a yeoman’s job.
“The goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme is the revelation; he put up a yeoman’s job. He really saved the team,“ he added.
He urged Oliseh to ensure that the team’s midfield had cohesion when next they played, stressing that the midfield was the engine room of any team.
He said: “In terms of team work, the coach still needs to work on the midfield.
“However, today is his first match and I want to believe that the team will still improve.“