Blame NFF for Flamingoes woeful outing - Onigbinde

Former Nigeria coach Adegboye Onigbinde has described as unfair the barrage of criticisms that greeted Nigeria women’s early exit from the 2016 Fifa U17 Women's World Cup in Jordan.


Coach Bala Nikyu who led the Flamingoes to a quarterfinal finish last term in Costa Rica, failed to match his personal best after he side crashed out in the first round without a goal.

The former Super Eagles handler defended the players and coaches, insisting the Nigeria Football Federation were responsible due to their poor efforts in football development.

" It is criminal and unfair to blame the coaches and girls, are we [Nigeria] developing our football?," Onigbinde told newsmen.

"How can you ask somebody to give you what you're not giving him? If you want to improve standard of education in Nigeria, your first point of call is production of quality teachers.

"If you want to improve the standard of football, your first point of call is production of quality coaches.

"Even when FIFA have it developmental programme, we don't utilizing them. Now we are now turning around to complain about our players and coaches, but have we empowered them technically?

"And if we have not empowered our coaches technically and we say a player is as good as his coach, then ee are getting a lot of things wrong and it is unfortunate.

"Each time a team does not do well at any international competition we begin to call for the head of the coaches and players whereas most of the problems are administrative," he concluded.