Amaju Pinnick: Why we appointed Joseph Yobo as Gernot Rohr’s assistant

The Nigeria Football Federation president, Melvin Amaju Pinnick has revealed the reason behind the appointment of former Eagles captain Joseph Yobo as the assistant to the coach Gernot Rohr.

The appointment has divided opinions amongst fans as many are on the side of the NFF for the decision, while a few others felt the decision should have been solely made by the head coach.

In fact the head coach, Gernot Rohr expressed his unhappiness at the decision but welcomed the development and asked the former Everton man to get his coaching badges.

In response to the reactions from the fans and the head coach, Amaju Pinnick explained the decision to appoint Joseph Yobo was to help the players and the man himself.

“The NFF is very excited with his appointment and will take it as a responsibility to ensure that he gets the requisite (coaching) qualifications at the highest level,” Pinnick told the Punch.

“That’s how Stephen Keshi started. Who says Yobo can’t be the next Nigerian to win the the AFCON as player and coach?

“FIFA stipulates that the head coach and first assistant coach must have coaching licences. Yobo is not the first assistant coach.

“The idea is that we want to nurture and condition him to provide leadership and mentorship for the young team, using the Nigerian factor, which Gernot (Right) cannot provide.

“He’s played for some of Europe’s big clubs, won the AFCON and he is one of our most-capped players ever. So, we should back him to succeed.”

Pinnick also addressed the complaints by a few people that the role of Super Eagles assistant coach should not be for someone who has zero coaching experiences.

He said, “When Yobo was at Everton, Arteta was on the bench. But he began his coaching career as an assistant at Manchester City when he retired. Today, he is the Arsenal manager and one of the top coaches in England. So, we should learn to support our own.

“Are we going to keep relying on foreigners all the time?”