A former chief at an African powerhouse has claimed that players have more respect for foreign coaches than they have for local ones.
Ex-Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick highlighted the lack of respect towards domestic managers as a reason why he feels the Super Eagles should not go down that route.
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This comes after the departure of Finidi George who was at the helm for just two games as the side's permanent manager before handing in his resignation.
The team were held to a 1-1 draw against South Africa before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Benin in the last round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The results are believed to have prompted the hierarchy into hiring a technical director who would have overseen George, which the 53-year-old highlighted as one of the reasons he decided to part ways with the national team.
Pinnick, meanwhile, has suggested that hiring another Nigerian boss would not be the best idea because of the players' lack of respect towards local coaches
"Even before I got into the NFF, I observed that the Nigerian coaches have the required knowledge and abilities, but it goes beyond technical ability in managing players," the former president said in an interview with Arise TV per Socceret.ng.
"One thing that is elemental when you want to manage a player is respect; do they have respect for the coaches?
"No matter how high a former Nigerian has played, when he becomes a coach, the players in the team possibly don't have the same level of respect for him.
"I just know that, but with a foreign coach, it's different," Amaju Pinnick .
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