BEVERLY HILLS, April 08, (THEWILL) – Dutchman, and former coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Clemens Westerhof, has declared that he can make Nigeria’s soccer team great again if he is appointed coach for a second time.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Westerhof, 75, said he is confident that he can revive Nigerian football and wants a second spell in charge of Nigeria insisting that he has unfinished business with the Super Eagles.
Westerhof who coached Nigeria for five years from 1989, winning the 1994 Nations Cup and leading them to their first World Cup in the same year, added that he is the right man for the job.
“I know what Nigeria lacks and I can make them great again,” he said.
“Just give me the Super Eagles again and watch what we can all achieve together.”
“Nigeria need a strong person with the required experience to bring them out of the negative position they are in right now.”
“Nigeria is a big country and the national team should be in the top 10 in Fifa’s world rankings, not the 67th position they currently occupy.”
“For 22 years I have watched everything I built slowly collapse and all I need is a chance to fix the national team again.”
“With due respect to Sunday Oliseh, he was a good player but the job of managing Nigeria is not for an inexperienced person and that is the reason things never worked out.”
“I know what Nigeria lacks and need to be respected in the world again.”
The Super Eagles won the Nations Cup in 2013, under Stephen Keshi, who was coached by Westerhof, 19 years after Westerhof’s 1994 success, but have now failed to qualify for two consecutive tournaments.
“I left Nigeria as number five in the world and now I want to do it again, this is my second country and what I accomplished then is possible again,” he said.
“Just give me the Super Eagles again and watch what we can all achieve together.”
Westerhof who hails from Beek – Montferland, Netherlands is the longest-serving manager in the history of Nigerian football and has also coached in the Netherlands, South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe.
Nigeria is seeking a permanent coach for the team following Sunday Oliseh’s resignation in March with some supporters believing that only foreign coach can revive the fortunes of the three-time African champions.
Story by David Oputah
