In a shocking twist of events, Frenchman, Paul Le Guen, who was announced as Super Eagles’ new technical adviser on Monday, July 18, by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, on Tuesday, July 19, declared that he never accepted the offer.
With all recently looking like the Senior national team is about to catch a break from series of disappointments, Le Guen’s reaction, has now complicated issues for the nation in the fast-approaching Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
On Monday night, the official website of the NFF reported that Le Guen had been named as the new Super Eagles helmsman by the technical and development committee of the football federation. The deal was, however, subject to Le Guen agreeing contract terms with the federation’s executive committee.
However, a top French reporter, Herve Penot, revealed on his verified Twitter handle @hpenot_lequipe in the early hours of yesterday that Le Guen had rejected the offer by the NFF and would not come to Nigeria since his conditions were not met.
Counter-claims from the football house followed a few minutes later. While the chairman of the NFF’s Technical and Development committee, Chris Green, said Le Guen did not accept the terms offered by the football federation, the NFF Executive Committee stated that it never gave the Frenchman the Super Eagles’ job in the first place.
Speaking with The Guardian on Tuesday, former coach of the female national team, Super Falcons, Godwin Izilien described it as not only shameful but an international embarrassment to Nigeria.
Also speaking with The Guardian, former Green Eagles winger, Adegoke Adelabu said: “I am sure the man (Le Guen) took the decision after finding out that the NFF has not been able to take care of local coaches. If the NFF can’t pay salaries of Nigerian coaches on its pay roll, what is the guarantee that they will be able to pay Le Guen? We have been embarrassed once again internationally, though this is not the first time.”
Green, who alongside others like Victor Ikpeba, Christian Chukwu and Paul Bassey, presided over the Technical and Development committee, revealed to supersport.com that Le Guen did not accept the terms offered by the federation.
