Nigeria national football team players run during a training session at the Arena Baixada soccer stadium in Curitiba, June 15, 2014 (Photo: Reuters)
A few hours after coach Sunday Oliseh quit his job as Nigeria manager, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) named Samson Siasia, Emmanuel Amuneke and Alloy Agu as head coaches of the senior national team for the upcoming 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Egypt.
The 48-year-old Siasia, a former Nigeria striker, served as Super Eagles coach in 2011 but failed to book a place in the 2012 African Cup of Nations, before the NFF terminated his contract.
Amuneke led the U-17 Nigeria national team in the FIFA World Cup in Chile last year while Agu was one of Oliseh's technical staff.
"The new crew has the mandate to reach out to the very best Nigerian players anywhere," Chris Green, chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, said on Friday.
"The matches against Egypt would not be picnics and we need our very best for those contests," he added.
After hosting Egypt next March in the first leg of the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, Nigeria will travel to the Group G leaders five days later, as both teams are currently separated by just two points.
Nigeria respond to Oliseh claims
Oliseh quit his post just less than one month ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations home qualifying clash with Egypt on 23 March.
He says contract violations, lack of support, unpaid wages, benefits to players and assistant coaches are the reasons behind his surprise decision.
In response, the Nigeria Football Federation said on their official website that Oliseh was paid this week the sum of N20 million, which were salaries for three months – December 2015, January 2016 and February 2016 – and a half-year rent for July-December 2015.
He signed on in July 2015.
"The only money he is owed is the bonus for the World Cup qualifier against Swaziland in Port Harcourt in November 2015, which the NFF had promised to pay players and officials on resumption of camping for the matches against Egypt," the NFF official website added in a statement.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: