Nigeria’s Super Eagles must have been used by now to the constancy Coach Shaibu Amodu makes a return to the squad. Once upon a time, he was in charge, another time, he is out.
On Saturday night, Amodu was the choice of the Nigerian Football Federation, after sacking Stephen Keshi, to coach Nigeria’s Super Eagles as they struggle for qualification in the 2017 Cup of Nations.
Amodu, 57 years old, first managed the Nigerian national team from April 2001 to February 2002.
But he was dismissed after qualifying the country’s team for the World Cup.
He was re-appointed manager in April 2008.
Two years later, again after qualifying the team for the Japan world Cup, he was dismissed again in February 2010.
Three years after, Amodu was appointed technical director of Nigeria’s national teams in May 2013. Keshi was then employed as coach.
When Keshi was having issues with the NFF over his on in 2014, the NFF ran back to Amodu, re-appointing him Nigeria manager in October 2014, as a stop gap.
Keshi who had been deemed to have resigned his job, was taken aboard again, two weeks after Amodu was called in for rescue mission.
Now saturday night, for the fifth, Amodu has been called upon again for national duty.
In a statement by NFF vice-president, Seyi Akinwunmi, the Eagles’ team affairs, in the interim, would be jointly managed by Assistant Coach, Salisu Yusuf and the Technical Directorate of the federation, headed by Coach Shaibu Amodu, until it named in due course a new Head Coach.
So Amodu has become an interim man.
Amodu, a striker in his football playing career, played for Dumez and Niger Tornadoes. His career ended after he broke his leg.
As a coach, he had managed a number of club sides in Nigeria, such as BCC Lions, El-Kanemi Warriors, and Shooting Stars; he also managed Orlando Pirates in South Africa.