Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, has resigned as coach of the senior national football team after collecting his backlog of salaries from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
He cites “contract violations, lack of support, unpaid wages, benefits to my players, assistant coaches and myself,” as reasons for his decision.
In a resignation letter sent to the NFF on Thursday, Oliseh thanked the football body for the opportunity to serve the country in the capacity he did.
“Your contractual violations and the interest of the nation necessitates that I tender my resignation,” he wrote.
He also announced the resignation on Twitter on Friday morning.
Due to Contract violations ,lack of Support,Unpaid wages,Benefits to my players,Asst.Coaches & myself, I resign as Super Eagles Chief Coach
— Sunday Oliseh (@SundayOOliseh) February 26, 2016
Dr Mohammed Sanusi, General Secretary of the NFF, confirmed to supersport.com that the former Ajax Amsterdam midfielder has indeed resigned from his post as the coach of the Super Eagles.
“Yes, we have received a letter from him and I can tell you he has resigned as coach of the national team (Super Eagles),”he said.
“I can tell you the content of the letter yet because we haven’t met to deliberate on it. We are in Zurich for the Fifa congress but as soon as we are through with the meeting, you will be in the know,” Sanusi added.
Oliseh, who took over the Super Eagles job in July 2015, has had a topsy-turvy relationship with the NFF and also had a run-in with a few players.
I feel fortunate, blessed and eternally grateful for having had the honour to Play,Captain & Coach this great Nation of ours,Nigeria.
— Sunday Oliseh (@SundayOOliseh) February 26, 2016
His tenure as coach was characterised by incessant disagreements with the football ruling house that culminated in an eight minute rant on social media chiding agents, journalists and his assistants whom he claimed where working against him after Nigeria’s ouster at the 2016 CHAN tournament in Rwanda.
While Oliseh was paid outstanding salaries on Thursday he was was initially owed five months’ salary by the NFF, while his assistants are still owed for several months.
His players have also gone unpaid after the NFF blamed financial challenges for their inability to pay outstanding match bonuses since September 2015.
“Since so little help is being rendered me in getting the players to give their best and very vital conditions and advantages to the team play are also being sacrificed coupled with non-redress of the aforementioned despite my several e-mails and others, seeking your aid to effectively carry out my duties were ignored.
“These unconducive working conditions that my coaching crew and myself have to live with, your contractual violations and the interest of the nation necessitates that I tender my resignation and recourse to the termination of our working agreement,” he said.
NFF technical director Shaibu Amodu, who has managed the national team on four occasions, is widely expected to take charge of the team on temporary basis.
