Former Nigeria captain and coach Sunday Oliseh has lifted the lid on his short-lived but controversial reign as Super Eagles boss.
Oliseh, who managed the team from July 2015 to February 2016, resigned abruptly amidst disagreements with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and reported clashes with certain players.
In an interview with Elegbete TV on YouTube, Oliseh detailed the difficulties he faced during his tenure. “I coached the Super Eagles for fourteen (sic) games, won four, we lost only two games. One was a friendly against Congo in Belgium,” he said.
“After being unpaid for four months, and my assistants being unpaid for six months, and after me falling sick and not getting any support spending thousands of dollars to cure myself, and still being laughed at by some of your media friends for falling sick, I resigned because I didn't get support.”
Super Eagles in disarray
Oliseh also shed light on the state of the national team upon his arrival, revealing that he was tasked with a rebuild upon appointment.
“When I became coach the Super Eagles had failed to qualify for the previous Nations Cup tournament under one of the best coaches we have ever had, Stephen Keshi,” he explained.
Oliseh suggested a degree of “rot” had set in within the team, and claimed the NFF identified Vincent Enyeama, John Obi Mikel, and Emmanuel Emenike as problematic players who should be excluded.
Despite the NFF's directive, Oliseh opted for a different approach. “They had asked me not to invite the players anymore to the Super Eagles,” Oliseh said. “I begged them to give me the opportunity to talk to them. Let me share my philosophy with them and let's see how it goes.”
Sunday Oliseh's falling out with Enyeama, Mikel
The AFCON winner recounted his efforts to connect with these players, particularly captain Vincent Enyeama.
“I called the captain of the team, Vincent Enyeama,” Oliseh explained. “I drove almost two hundred kilometers to his place with my assistant, took him out to launch, watched him train, spent a day with my captain, and explained the philosophy to him.
“We were playing on (a) Friday, everybody came into camp, but on Wednesday, Enyeama was not there.” Enyeama reportedly informed the team about his mother's passing only three days before the match, a failure in communication that neither man could get past. This directly resulted in the veteran goalkeeper's retirement.
The former BVB star's attempts to connect with other players, like John Obi Mikel, also proved unsuccessful. “I sent messages to John Obi Mikel, but he never answered my call,” Oliseh said.
“He never called me back. He totally ignored me and played the big ego.
“I went to London with my assistant to speak with Mikel and Victor Moses. I gave them an appointment at the hotel, two teammates at the same club. Moses came to the meeting, the other one refused to come.”
