Former Super Eagles Center back, Joseph Yobo has expressed his disappointment that Nigeria could miss out on his potential contributions if he doesn’t return to coaching.
On June 30, Yobo made his 100th international appearance, captaining Nigeria in the 2-0 loss to France during the 2014 World Cup round of 16 in Brasilia.
Antoine Griezmann and Joseph Yobo during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazill. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
After scoring an unfortunate own goal in that game, he announced his retirement from international football, stating,
“This is it. I can look back on my career with great pride. I wanted to leave on a high for my country.”
Yobo, enjoyed a stellar career, representing Nigeria in six Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON tournaments between 2002 and 2013. His crowning moment came in 2013 when he captained the Super Eagles to their third continental title in South Africa.
In February 2020, Yobo was appointed assistant coach of the Super Eagles by the Nigeria Football Federation.
However, following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Yobo and the rest of the coaching staff were dismissed.
Augustine Eguavoen (L) with his assistants on the bench, during the Africa Cup of Nations. (Photo by DANIEL BELOUMOU OLOMO/AFP via Getty Images)
In an interview on Brila FM’s, “No Holds Barred with Ifeanyi Udeze”, Yobo, now 44, shared his thoughts on his coaching journey. He revealed that coaching was never initially part of his plan
“It’s always an honour to represent the national team in any capacity, but the only reason I hesitated to join the coaching crew was because of how coaches are treated. It’s not encouraging.”
“When I finished playing, some of my mates were venturing into coaching, but I wasn’t impressed. The way coaches are treated in Nigeria, they don’t always succeed, so I thought, why should I join them?”
“When the opportunity came, it was an honour, even though I was skeptical. But as I continued, I realized I had it in me too. I enjoyed it and saw it as an opportunity to grow. I was even told I could be the next Stephen Keshi, I was a project. But when we failed to qualify for the World Cup, they dropped all the coaches.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s World Cup qualification failure, Yobo lamented his limited role within the team
“What happened in the World Cup game – maybe I could have contributed one or two things if I was in the dressing room or closer to the coach. But my assignment was just to warm up players.”
Despite being labelled “a project for the future,” Yobo was frustrated when the coaching team was dismissed
“I was told I was a project for the future, but I was highly disappointed when everyone was told to go, even though they had assured me ‘no shaking.’”
Although his life doesn’t depend on coaching, Yobo strongly believes Nigeria is missing out on his expertise
“My life doesn’t depend on coaching, but if I don’t go back to coaching, I believe Nigeria missed something. Everyone who knows me knows my passion for the game, I put my heart into it.”
A Call for Change in Coaching Culture
Yobo highlighted the importance of the coaching lessons he learned under former head coach Gernot Rohr, but especially under Augustine Eguavoen
Gernot Rohr. (Photo by Lars Baron – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
“I learnt a lot from Gernot Rohr, but mostly under Eguavoen. They didn’t allow me to follow through so they could see what I had learned and how I could impact the players.”
“I haven’t shut the door on coaching, but it’s not my top priority.
They need to change the way they treat our local coaches. That was the only reason I didn’t want to join while I was still playing, even though I had the opportunity to see how it works.”
