Former Super Eagles Handler, Bonfrere Jo, Seeks Return, As National Team Coach

By Akinwale Kasali

With uncertainty surrounding the future of Super Eagles Franco-German Coach, Gernot Rohr, former National Team handler, Johannes Bonfrere, has shown interest in returning to the Super Eagles fold.

The Dutch tactician led the Super Eagles to a second place finish at the Ghana/ Nigeria African Cup of Nations Championship in 2000, and was relieved of his duty after the Super Eagles lost a World Cup Qualifying Match to Sierra Leone in Freetown by 1-0.

Bonfrere, who was assistant to former Super Eagles Coach, Clemens Westerhof, before guiding the Under-23 Olympic Dream Team to Atlanta 1996 victory, said that he was ready to take over the Job as the National Team Coach if given the opportunity by the Amaju Melvin Pinnick led Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.

It would be recalled that Bonfrere had, earlier, signified interest in the job shortly after Sunday Oliseh resigned as the Super Eagles job in 2016. The Dutch had written a letter signifying that he was ‘the right man to return Nigeria to the summit of African football. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) ignored him.

He has, however, dispatched another letter to Nigeria, stating that he has the magic wand to turn things around.

“I can come on a rescue mission to resurrect the Super Eagles,” it was stated in the latter, which allegedly emanated from Jo Bonfrere.

Bonfrere boasts that 20 years after leaving the saddle as Super Eagles Coach, no Coach has achieved more than him in the National team.

“I will be happy to have Daniel Amokachi or Emmanuel Amuneke to be part of my technical crew,” he said. “I will bring licensed and experienced coaches in addition to the mentioned names to be part of the team to train the players in their movement, fitness, positions and abilities. After this is executed, the whole of Nigeria will be watching the national team play while drinking champagne because it is guaranteed that Nigeria is winning the match.”

Bonfrere stated that the current Super Eagles team has no effective formation, and the players don’t understand themselves.

“The players can’t hold the ball to themselves for up to three seconds. I am not trying to castigate my colleague (Gernot Rohr), but his knowledge needs to be upgraded to the new modern football. In this era, the Super Eagles have to have a pattern. When I was the coach, it is guaranteed my players score a goal and more with respect to the kind of formation and pattern I use.

“There was no such thing as a tough team for Nigeria then. Rather, it was Nigeria who was the tough team, and I remember in 2002 Ghana versus Nigeria everyone could see the impact. Also, when Senegal was leading Nigeria by a goal, I brought in Julius Aghahowa and we were able to turn the scoreline against Senegal. In the U-23 national team, we played against and won teams who Nigeria Super Eagles today see as threats like Egypt, Senegal, Cameroon, etc.

“It was so embarrassing to see Central Africa Republic, a country that doesn’t have its own stadium, to come to Nigeria and win the Super Eagles. The kind of pattern the coach use matters a lot.

“For instance, in the last game against Cape Verde, the Super Eagles played the match like they were away. With the quality players present on that day for Nigeria, it was so sad the coach could not make good use of them,” Bonfrere stated.