Why Emmanuel Amunike is the Best Man for the Job! [The Search for Nigeria National Team Head Coach]

 

Several months ago, at Sport Marketing Roundtable in Lagos, we recommended Emmanuel Amunike as the right coach to lead Nigeria national team to the World Cup in Qatar 2022. One thing many didn't know is FIFA had also made such permutation in 2015 that Amunike would grow to be the senior national team coach if Nigeria qualifies for Qatar 2022 World Cup. 

These assertions came after Amunike led the Golden Eagles to win the 2015 U17 World Cup in such a superlative way. With his team scoring an average of 3 goals per match and playing such exciting football style and  formations that led FIFA to appoint Amunike as part of its technical committee. 

However, Amunike growth to become the national team coach was truncated after he couldn't replicate such feet with the Flying Eagles, Nigeria U21 side. 

He was appointed as the coach of the Tanzania national football team in 2018. And he broke a 39 years old jinks, by qualifying Tanzania for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, but he resigned from training the team after losing all three game at the African fiesta. 

Amunike was appointed the manager of Egyptian Premiere League club, Misr Lel Makkasa SC in February 2021. And after a dramatic turn of event in March 2021, his role was changed to director of academies. Recently, Amunike has applied for a coaching job in Kano Pillars in Nigeria and Zamalek in Egypt without any outcome yet. 

Why Emmanuel Amunike is the Best Man for Super Eagles Job Now? 

Well, if Nigeria Football Federation decides to fire Gernot Rohr for whatever reason as rumours of his eminent sack has filled the social media. Then we think Emmanuel Amunike will be the best man to replace him. 

It will be a disaster to employ another foreign coach with no prior experience of Nigerian national team football or to allow Salisu Yusuf to continue as part of Rohr's coaching crew. 

NFF should engage Amunike who had played AFCON four times and was part of the team that won the 1994 edition. He also won Olympic gold and played in the world cup thrice. So he understands what it takes both as a player and as a manager.. 

Amunike is a very intelligent coach, has a UEFA badge and a key member of FIFA technical committee. Amunike hasn't hidden his desire to coach the Nigeria national team team one day. 

In his interview with CheerOnNigeria blog, Amunike alluded to this fact:

“I’m a very honest and straight-going guy, of course, we all nurse ambitions of coaching our country one day. But we don’t know when, we don’t know how it will come.

“But we know, doing the right thing, and when it pleases God, who sees every affairs of men, if it pleases God and he finds me being in a position to help the country, of course, one day I hope I will be a in a position to coach the Super Eagles.”The 1994 African Footballer of the Year winner said. 

Now, the stage seems set for Emmanuel Amunike's eventual take over.