To ensure that Nigerian and African coaches are at par with their foreign counterparts, Football Coaches Association of African Nations (FCAAN) is ready to empower them with the right knowledge in the round leather game.
Speaking at a media parley in Lagos on Tuesday, April 23, President of FCAAN, Terry Eguaoje believes with the right education, Nigerian coaches have the potential to be among the world’s best.
He said Nigeria has some of the most intelligent coaches in the world but some of them lack the required knowledge to be ranked among the best.
“We have been training coaches in the United States for the past 20 years and we decided to come to Africa when we discovered that nobody was doing it right. We are tired of seeing foreign coaches coming here to take jobs that are supposed to be handled by indigenous coaches,” he said.
“We have decided to set up our headquarters in Nigeria because charity begins at home. We have coaching centres in Canada, and the United States and we hope we can partner with other African countries. We are also in partnership with the best universities in coaching education like Baker University in the US,” said CEO of FCAAN, Danny Nazzal.
Nazzal said that FCAAN came to Nigeria to revolutionise coach education. “We want to change the face of coaching in Nigeria and Africa so that coaches can confidently take up any task and discharge it successfully. We are tired of seeing half-baked foreign coaches coming to Africa to take up jobs from our people because of their skin. A good coach does not necessarily have to be a former footballer; the talent is different and learning the job properly helps to equip the coach properly as well,” the CEO added.
However, Eguaoje said that FCAAN’s curriculum is the same as UEFA and CAF modules but said that FCAAN focuses more on practical training as the FCAAN’s education does not end with certification.”We believe we have the indigenous coaches that can handle our national team at home but we must just give them the needed support for them to excel like their foreign counterparts. Pay them the same salaries like the foreigners and see what they can do,” Eguaoje said.
With 45,000 registered members across Nigeria, Nazzal, said the body was ready to support indigenous coaches within Africa with the latest knowhow in the round leather game, stressing that the body has been working hard to extend its tentacles round the continent.