Kadiri Ikhana
The Super Falcons of Nigeria and the coach who led Enyimba International FC of Aba to win the CAF Champions League in 2003 Kadiri Ikhana, he has come out to say it will be a waste of money to hire a foreign coach when Nigeria have qualified men and women who can do better the job of coaching the women national team.
According to former Nigerian defender Kadiri Ikhana, he said: “We don’t need a foreigner of whatever colour to handle our women national teams. It will amount to waste of scarce resources and counterproductive. We have coaches who are very good at handling women teams in the country.”
He also said: “Our team rose to dominate women football in Africa with local coaches delivering eight of the nine times we won the AWCON. The only time a foreign manager [Swede, Thomas Dennerby] won it was the last edition in Ghana and we barely managed to win it via penalty shootout.”
“We have several successful men and women coaches in our domestic league and ex-players in the diaspora who can do the job with less pay package. We need to encourage our local coaches with a long-term contract to deliver as the NFF did with the Super Eagles. I am sure they will deliver if given good condition and encouragement,” the onetime Nigeria international defender stated.
Kadiri Ikhana urges the NFF to start tapping the exposures and experiences of former female Nigeria internationals players and male coaches who can instil discipline in the Super Falcons. “Nigeria once reached the quarter-finals of women’s football of Olympic Games and the FIFA Women’s World Cup with an indigenous coach and I think they can go a step further by reaching the semi-finals if the atmosphere is good and they are encouraged.”