Siasia slams European clubs for failing to appoint black coaches

– Samson Siasia laments that European clubs are not looking to appoint black coaches 

– Siasia laments the likes of John Barnes and Claude Makelele were not given adequate time 

– The coach says black men are not given coaching opportunities because clubs do not believe in them 

Super Eagles interim coach Samson Siasia has called on European clubs to appoint and support more black coaches in the club.

Siasia was appointed Nigeria coach following the resignation of Sunday Oliseh recently. It has been suggested that the NFF might be looking at appointing a foreign coach when Siasia’s tenure is over.

Siasia has now said European clubs are guilty of not giving black coaches a chance.

“I want to believe that the reasons there are not many black coaches working in Europe are because the European clubs hardly give us a chance and they do not believe in us,” said the coach, who himself was severally linked with jobs abroad.

“Many of us have not only played at the highest level in Europe, but have excelled, but even when we get our coaching badges there, these clubs still don’t give us the break we need to show what we can do outside the pitch.

The former Flying Eagles also suggested that the likes of Cluade Makelele, John Barnes were not given enough time to implement their ideas at clubs where they were appointed.

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He said: “We have many ex-African players with French nationality, but I can only recall (Claude) Makalele who was at Bastia and that was it.

“Where is John Barnes with all he achieved at Liverpool and even though he grew up in England and played for that country? He was not given much of a chance there as a coach.

“Where is another black coach, Chris Houghton? Where is he now?

“Many of us have good records as players and then coaches, but because the European clubs do not believe in us, we end up having to do something else.

“And even where they give us a chance, they are quick to dispense with us. Something is really not right, but I don’t want to put any name to it.”

Siasia first coached Nigeria Super Eagles in 2010, before he was fired the following year after he failed to qualify the country to the 2012 AFCON in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

He got his coaching badges in the United States of America and Europe, and played for French club Nantes as well as Lokeren in Belgium.

He also featured at the 1994 World Cup in the USA when Nigeria made a long-awaited debut.

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