The NFF accused Oliseh of lying, and released a statement apologising to the people of the West African country concerning the sudden resignation of Sunday Oliseh as coach, denying the allegations levelled at them by the former Super Eagles handler.
Oliseh decided to resign from his role at the helm of the Super Eagles with immediate effect on Friday, citing struggles between the football authorities and unpaid wages as the major cause of the rift between the federation and himself.
In a letter sent to the Nigerian Football Federation last week, Oliseh resigned while thanking the federation for the opportunity to have coached the team.is week, suggesting that Oliseh’s allegations were unfounded, and that the temporary appointment of Samson Siasia as coach for the Egypt matches would add stability to the team.
The NFF have now addressed the issue in a statement released this week, denying any wrongdoing but apologising to Nigerian fans for the current situation following Oliseh’s resignation.
“The NFF seizes the opportunity to apologise to Nigerians for the situation that we, through no fault of ours, find ourselves, but assures the teeming Super Eagles supporters that we shall patriotically remain committed to the success of the team,” the statement from the NFF began.
“This is already evidenced by the swiftness with which we have reconstituted the coaching crew and received the assurances of the patriotism of the Super Eagles players who have vowed to fight for the Nigerian flag and spirit, and ensure that not only do we qualify for the African Nations Cup but also that our long term goals are not derailed,” the NFF added.
A disappointing performance for the Nigerians at the 2016 African Nations Championship in Rwanda was a contributing factor to his resignation, as the team did not progress from the group stages of the competition.
Oliseh blamed struggles on the pitch on a lack of financial backing from authorities in Nigeria, but the NFF denied this in their statement.
“Mr. Sunday Oliseh in his letter of resignation and in various reports has talked about not being respected, and not getting the support of the NFF. The NFF categorically denies these allegations and notes that from the time of his employment, the NFF had always shown him respect which, unfortunately, was not always reciprocated,” the NFF stated.
“The NFF gives the foregoing assurances despite the circumstance which has arisen with the untimely resignation of coach Sunday Oliseh and despite the fact that the decision was taken unilaterally without discussion with NFF or any of its officials or board members, without giving the requisite 1 (one) month notice as stipulated in his contract immediately after he was paid his salary arrears and housing allowance after his request to travel across Europe to visit potential players for the matches against Egypt was approved by the President of the NFF and despite the fact that we have crucial qualifying matches to play next month (March),” the statement continued.
The NFF went on to address Oliseh’s payment claims, adding that they had in fact given him an advance on his salary to display their commitment to him as the coach of the Super Eagles.
“In order to encourage him to exhibit an intention to put the issue of financial disagreements with coaches behind the federation and to help the new coach quickly settle down, the NFF proceeded to pay him three months’ salary in advance — something that had never happened previously in Nigerian football,” the statement read.
“For the competitive matches against Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Swaziland that the Super Eagles played away from home under Coach Oliseh, the NFF despite its financial constraints flew the team by chartered aircraft at the request of the coach,” the NFF added, in an effort to show the dedication of the federation to the team despite financially difficult times.
The battle of words between the NFF and Oliseh is set to continue, but it will do no good for the Super Eagles, who need to be focused on upcoming international fixtures.
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Egypt in March pose a serious problem for the Nigerian officials, but they will be counting on temporary replacement Siasia to steady the ship and produce results for the Nigerian fans.
