Co-Founder and secretary of former Nigeria premier league club, Gabros International FC Of Nnewi and a former board member of NFF disciplinary committee, Barrister Iyke Leo Igbokwe has advised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to look inward as search for a new handler of the Super Eagles begins.
The Football Administrator in an exclusive interview with New National Star Newspaper Esther Egbe explained that Nigeria is blessed with top coaches who are capable of handling the country’s senior National football teams adding Nigeria doesn’t need a foreign coach.
“I am Barrister lyke Leo lgbokwe, the former Co-founder/ Executive Secretary of then Premier League club, Gabros lnternational FC Nnewi from 1997-2008. I am a law graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, lle lfe (1991 set).
Before l studied Law at OAU, I had read Health and Physical Education (Sports Science) from the same University. I have held Top Administrative positions in Nigeria Football under the Sani Lulu Abdulahi and Aminu Maigari’s NFF Boards. I was a Member of the NFF Players Status and Arbitration Committee under Sani Lulu NFF Administration.
I was a member of the NFF disciplinary committee rising to the chairman of the committee under the Maigari NFF regime. I was also one of the Founding Members of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) with our First elected Chairman as Chief Jackson Oyuki Obaseki. I was a Member of the NPL Statutes Drafting Committee headed by Arthur Kwame under the Oyuki Obaseki NPL. I was also a Co-founder of then NNL Club, Bimo Sporting Club Abuja between 2017-2020.
But my most impressive football profile is my several crusades embarked upon to challenge and curtail a lot of rot affecting our football. It was as a result of my selfless and dedicated crusades for the growth of our Football. That’s the congress of the Nigeria Premier League gathered at their congress in Yenagoa Bayelsa State in 2012 to bestow me with the football title of “The Torchlight Of Nigeria Football”.
The key points of my submissions are the following:
1. That Nigeria doesn’t need a Foreign Coach for any of our National Teams including the Super Eagles.
2. That we have a lot of capable lndigenious Coaches to handle our Super Eagles with great success. E.g. Coaches Stephen Keshi AFCON success in 2013; Festus Onigbinde AFCON Silver in 1988. Christian Chukwu AFCON Silver in 2002. Shuaibu Amodu World Cup Qualification in 2010.
3. That our Super Eagles Technical Crew should be composed of only lndigenious Coaches like we did with the Keshi AFCON Winning Team. Which was composed of All indigenous Coaches.
4. That our Home based Players must be given a fair chance to compete for Super Eagles shirts.
5. That the Foreign lmported Players must be made to face Performance Tests with the Home based Players to determine who is Better.
6. That we need to project our home” based Players at the big Continental Championships like AFCON and World Cup. He opined.
He concluded that we need to banish the foreign colonial mentality complex thinking that foreign coaches and foreign players are better than our indigenous coaches and home players. He also stressed that we need to bring out our best coaching legs forward to ensure that the Transition from foreign coaches to indigenous coaches, work well.