Oliseh replies 'insane' critics. "I didn't beg for the job".

 

Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has revealed that he was persuaded to handle the Super Eagles after turning down the offer twice.
The ex-international stated this while trying to defend his team’s shambolic showing at the African Nations Championship in Rwanda where his side crashed out of the group stage.

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In the lengthy video released via his Youtube channel, Oliseh called those calling for his sack ‘insane’ while making a critical remark about his former teammates who he advised to pick up coaching forms and handle the national team instead of finding loopholes in his work.
“I am addressing this insanity that has befallen some of our critics and I call it insanity because you must be insane to start seeking a plebiscite on the future of Nigeria’s national team coach because we lost CHAN,” Oliseh said.
“CHAN is the least important competition held by Caf and a tournament that weighed more on the strength of the leagues against another. You can see how far Congo and [Mali] have gone, what then should be done to the coaches of Ghana and South Africa who did not even qualify?
“I am sad that we lost the tournament but this constant insanity, that each time the Super Eagles lose, some usual critics go on air seeking a plebiscite as regards the future of the Super Eagles coach. This is madness.”
He added: “I am serving Nigerians and I’m not serving these critics. And the [criticism] that is unfortunate is the one coming from my ex-colleagues. Funny enough, these ex-colleagues who are the most critical ones were sitting on the bench when we were playing. They were coming on sporadically to contribute and not the real actors who made Super Eagles what it was then but they are the ones we hear the loudest now.
“And today, they were still doing the same thing they were doing then - sitting and talking. If you feel you are good enough, go for a coaching course or start coaching and show what you can do."
The former Super Eagles skipper also revealed that he never begged to handle the senior national team while dishing out harsh words for his detractors.
“I didn’t beg for this job and didn’t even want this job – I refused it twice and it took the intervention of a highly respected friend of mine who was in government to concede, and I took it not to serve special interest, I took it to serve Nigerians,” he continued.
“For the critics, you can say what you like and trying to hurt us or get us out so that you can put your people who you can manipulate, you are free to but as far as I am concerned, what you are doing is unfair and you are not only hurting me or my team, you are also hurting Nigerians.
“What if now we start fighting ourselves and do not qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations or the next World Cup, what does it benefit the nation itself?
“I could understand initially when people were criticising that I don’t have the experience, but now that I have gotten the job, any sane person should rally round the coach until he fails. We have not failed in any way because my predecessors were judged after they failed to qualify us for the Nations Cup or World Cup, then why pass judgment on us when we are on still on track to qualify the country for the Nations Cup and World Cup?” he concluded.
Nigeria play Egypt over two legs in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in March and must get a positive result from both games to stand a good chance of reaching the finals in Gabon.