‘ Why I did not apply for Super Eagles job ‘ – Vincent Enyeama

Former Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama has revealed why he did not apply to become the coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria following the exit of Jose Peseiro in March.

Enyeama, who played a key role in Nigeria’s triumph in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, has expressed his aspirations to lead the Super Eagles as head coach in the future but said he was not ready at the moment.

Firstly, he is yet to obtain his coaching certificate, a prerequisite for coaching the national team. Secondly, his focus has been on managing his hotel business, Vinpy Hotels, which has demanded much of his attention since his retirement from football.

In a conversation with Afrik-Foot, Enyeama clarified that his ambition extends beyond coaching goalkeepers; he aims to lead a senior team as head coach. He believes that his experience as a goalkeeper offers a unique perspective on the game, allowing him to understand the dynamics of team management.

“No, no, no. It’s not that I am not interested; it’s just that I am not certified. For you to be able to coach the Super Eagles, you must be certified. That’s the minimum standard.

“That’s the number one reason, and then for the fact that I have been very busy developing and managing my hotel has taken a lot of my attention, and that business is the most important thing for me now.

“So football is like number two for me now unless just one day the Nigeria Football Federation says, ‘Please come and share your wealth of experience in this area with these players,’ then it becomes a different thing altogether.

“For now, I have to wait until I get the necessary certificate before I can say this is where I want to coach or the area where I can support the national teams.”

Vincent Enyeama added on the choice between being a goalkeeper coach or chief coach, “Whatever I am doing now is how to become a full coach of a team, and not just a goalkeeping trainer. If I have to be a goalkeeping trainer, then it has to be with very young ones in junior teams because they are the ones you really teach.

“They are still growing and open to learning new things; these ones you can easily transmit what you want.

“Some of the established goalkeepers are not so easy to manage because they already have fixed mindsets. When you are called into the national team, you don’t really coach them but manage them.

“That’s why most trainers usually introduce exercises that would keep the goalkeepers very fit as they already are formed and firm in other areas.

“It will be nice to manage the full team because, as a goalkeeper, you always have a full view of the field and what everyone is doing at any given time.

“And that’s why most goalkeepers make good coaches and most midfielders do well too, as we can see in (Pep) Guardiola, (Xabi) Alonso, Xavi. They were all midfielders,” Vincent Enyeama said.

With 101 appearances for the Super Eagles, Enyeama remains the most capped goalkeeper in the history of Nigerian football.