It’s a big disappointment not coaching Eagles - Saintfiet

Seven years after missing out on the Super Eagles job, Gambia head coach, Tom Saintfiet, still regrets not coaching the three-time African champions, The PUNCH reports.

Saintfiet, alongside Frenchman Paul Le Guen, were shortlisted by the Technical Committiee of the Nigeria Football Federation as possible replacements for Sunday Oliseh, who resigned from his position as coach of the team in 2016.

But while Le Guen, who was reportedly the NFF’s preferred choice for the job turned down the offer, the NFF appointed Franco-German Gernot Rohr, who was not initially interviewed for the job.

Saintfiet claimed the former president of the federation, Amaju Pinnick, denied him the opportunity to coach the team after the NFF Technical Committee had recommended him for the job.

“Yes, in 2012 first of all, the minister of sports decided he wanted a local coach when I was already announced as the new technical adviser chosen by the technical committee at that time, which had (Austin) Okocha, Garba Lawal and Christopher Green. Again in 2016, I was close to the job, I was to get the job with the local coach Salisu Yusuf, but they chose Paul Le Guen for the job.

“He refused and it would have been normal that I would have been there with Yusuf. I considered myself as the second or third choice, but it was Amaju Pinnick who didn’t follow the technical committee’s decision and went for Gernot Rohr, who was not shortlisted; it was a big disappointment.

“Then I went to Bangladesh and got a lucrative offer for a short term, but the ambition was always there to coach Nigeria and guide them to a successful AFCON and also guide them to World Cup success.”

When The PUNCH asked Pinnick, a FIFA Council member, if Saintfiet’s claim was true, he replied, “Not at all.”

Reacting to Saintfiet’s claim, former member of the NFF Technical Committee, Garba Lawal, said they did their job, adding that it was the NFF’s decision to ratify their recommendations.

“Why is he (Saintfiet) saying this now after over seven years? He has a job with The Gambia and he should focus more on his job there. There’s no need for this at all,” Lawal told The PUNCH.

“The technical committee did it’s job diligently and it is the NFF that decides who gets the job. Ours was to screen the candidate in contention.”

Another member of the NFF Technical Committee, Mutiu Adepoju, also refused to reveal if Saintfiet was recommended.

“As a committee, we did our job and submitted it to the NFF, I don’t think it will be appropriate for me to say that here. Its over seven years now, I don’t think he should be on this matter,” Adepoju stated.

Saintfiet led an unfancied Gambian side to the quarter-finals — their best ever performance at the event — at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon last year.

With a team made up largely of unknown names, Saintfiet’s side was admired for their fluid football as they recorded a shock 1-0 win over continental giants Tunisia, as well as another 1-0 triumph over Mauritania and a 1-1 stalemate against Mali to finish the group stage unblemished.

The Scorpions then stung fellow West Africans Guinea 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals, where they bowed out to hosts Cameroon 2-0.