Have the NFA made the right choice?

The NFA say that they feel that Chukwu's experience qualifies him for the job - he had previously been assistant Super Eagles coach between 1992 and 1994.

He helped them to the African Nations Cup in Tunisia and as Super Eagles captain lifted the trophy himself in 1980.

He was selected from 15 candidates from the job - and one of those who missed out was the World Cup coach Adegboye Onigbinde.

Is Chukwu the right choice?

For all the naysayers out there, Chukwu's choice as the chief coach is a smart decision. Unlike most of the local coaches that coached the team recently, Chukwu had a very successful soccer career and was with Clemence Westerhof in Nigeria's best outing in World Cup 94. Coaching is a function of psychology because your players have to respect your profile before they take your instructions to heart. We need a coach that has played before, that can see through all that and not be intimidated because player x plays for y team in Europe.
Peter Johnson, USA

Not from his experience with Kenya's Harambee stars. But what is wrong with these people running Nigeria's FA. They seem to be more daft than their Kenyan counterparts.
Steve Osieyo, Kenya

Chukwu is not a bad choice based on my presumption that he would have a vastly experienced foreign technical adviser as his boss! In his playing days, he entertained us with great skill and finesse. As a coach, there is still room for improvement. It's time we start grooming an indigenous coach to lead the Super Eagles in the not too distant future!
Karl, Belgium

The appointment of Chukwu is an embarrassment to world soccer in general. This is someone that has not coached any significant team for almost two decades. Nigeria is surely the architect of its own soccer destruction.
Tokunbo Fagboye, Toronto, Canada

What the Nigerian team needs is someone that can attract respect from the very rich young and proud professional players. I think Chukwu and Eguavoen will. Chukwu is also cool-headed and will be a good choice to serve under a foreign coach without the usual bickering. I wish them luck.
Benfran Okoye, USA

Christian Chukwu is definately the best man among the 15 coaches at the interview. Those who mention his failure do not actually know football. Christian has the knowledge and charisma for the job. Amodu was a timid coach who has no control and scared to use new players.
Festus Ehizielen, Nigeria

I doubt if Chukwu can succeed where angels have failed. The Nigerian team needs an internationally acclaimed coach if they want to mantain their world record.
Lechani A., Botswana

Picking Chukwu is okay for me. Among the 15, I believe that he is the best and hopefully the NFA will appoint a sound Technical Adviser to work with him. But on a serious note the NFA must get their house together for the crew to come out on top.
Chigbo Nwokorie, United States

I do not know what to say but I am dumbfounded at the decision to appoint a coach with no track record. The NFA cannot be serious. Chukwu was in charge of Kenya and he had nothing to show for it, hence his dismissal. What the Super Eagles need is a coach with proven track record. Even Amodu Shaibu would have been a better choice. NFA, please reconsider your decision.
Carruthers Kwaku Dzramedo, Ghana

Why does the NFA keep recycling bad rubbish? Everyone knows Christian Chukwu's contribution under ClemeNS Westerhof was zero. The man does not have strong leadership qualities and his subsequent cameos into club and national team management (Kenyan team) all ended in failure. On the whole I'd say it's a good move by the NFA (going for a local) but for the wrong man.

Austin Eguavoen, though not having much coaching experience, was very patriotic while he was a player. He kept turning up to play for Nigeria even when not wanted by the fans and some coaches. He is relatively young and should be able to communicate effectively with the players.
Sola Ogunbanwo, UK

No, no, no. The "wrongest" choice of a coach has been selected for the Eagles. With Chukwu, they will become Ducks. Great shame!
Solomon Okuruekwe, England

Chukwu - or whoever is appointed as the chief coach to work with the magician foreign technical adviser - is the least of the problems in Nigeria's football crisis. There is a need for a complete overhauling of the football machinery in Nigeria. There is need for transparency, committment, vision and long-term planning if Nigeria's football is to be resurrected from its current slumber.
Wale Ismail, Sweden

It is amazing what Nigeria's football house can do. I don't believe Chukwu is being appointed, following his repeated failure in all his assignments since he left the Eagles in the early 90's. I believe performance should be a priority not race, ethnicity or personality. I believe Amodu has better qualifications than both appointed coaches.
Kenny Hassan, Nigeria/USA

There's no way Chukwu can't be the right man. He has played and coached at a very high level. We in South Africa applaud the Nigerian FA for showing trust in their own.
T.I. Mokone, South Africa

What has a Nations Cup got to do with the World Cup? Was Christian Chukwu not in Super Eagles when they never qualified for the World Cup? I think the NFA has made the biggest mistake by making Chukwu head coach. Why can't the NFA learn from what kind of disgrace we had in the Korea-Japan World Cup?

Nigeria is the only country in the world that does not learn from her mistakes.This kind of decision clearly shows that the body governing football in Nigeria are nothing but mediocre.
Baba, UK

Now I know why the popular acronym for the Nigerian Football Association, NFA, is "No Future Ambition"!

I have no personal problems with Christian Chukwu. He is one of the most effective captains that the Nigerian national team has ever had. He also has the additional quality of being a very disciplined player both on and off the field. But I do not think it is fair to the man to saddle him with the task of coaching the national team of Nigeria. I don't know what metamorphosis that Chukwu would have undergone to make him assume the herculean responsibility of coaching the present set of Eagles.

What miracle does he have now? It is now clear that the NFA is totally confused and in an attempt to save their faces, they are putting up Chukwu to buy time as everyone, including Chukwu himself, knows that whoever must lead the Eagles today must be someone with some solid international credentials otherwise the boys will treat him very shabbily. Nigeria football authorities should stop taking the nation for a ride. The recent pick of Chukwu as the national coach is yet another evidence that those fellows are just not serious.
Mike Ikhariale, USA

Chukwu has a good coaching pedigre and appears to have had a good relationship with erstwhile Super Eagles coach Clemens Westerhof. This is a good attribute considering the NFA's ultimate goal of employing a foreign manager. The appointment of Chukwu is ok, so long as he is going to work under a competent manager.
Yinka, Togo

The Nigerian FA is a joke! That man Chukwu has done nothing to merit the appointment. Look at his track record... he could not even contribute something constructive for the Kenyan team he coached! Nigeria is becoming the laughing stock of Africa, whilst others like Senegal steal the limelight from you. Shame shame shame.
Wambugu, South Africa

Judging by his track record, I fail to see how he could be the right choice. He was in Lebanon where he achieved nothing. Then he went to Kenya where he was for two years with no success either. Then he came home to coach his previous club, Rangers. He had coached Rangers before and they won nothing. At the end of the day, we will still come back to square one.
Rufus O., USA

The truth is that even if Jesus was chosen, if we do not get the organisational side of the NFA right and acknowledge that we cannot win all the time, he would be the wrong man.
Hakeem Abimbola, UK

I believe the NFA lacks vision in the appointment of Chukwu, as he has always been a failure - even with the Kenyan national team, not to mention Rangers International, from whom he was sacked.
Ibrahim Zitta, Nigeria

He is the right choice from the pool of applicants, and with the appointement of Austin as his assistant I think they will make a good team. But one should not forget that they are very soft-minded fellows, which will make it easier fot the NFA to manipulate them and at times dictate to them. But giving them free hands, they are good.
Gbemi Adeyemi, Denmark

Chukwu and his assistant played their days as defenders and I fear their teams may have a defensive bias. This is not good for modern football. The solution now is to hire an attack-minded foreign coach for the national team.
Erebor, Nigeria

I welcome Christian Chukwu back. But I would have prefered a completely new person who could have brought experience of football overseas. A new hand would have brought new ideas. But I have high respect for him a coach and I wish him all the best.
Daniel Ujoh-Rueben, Nigeria