NFF plans CAF courses after seven years

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, asserts that the federation will later this year organise CAF license C and B coaching courses for men’s football coaches in the country, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

This is coming on the heels of the CAF license C course exclusively organised for women, which began in Abuja on Monday.

The last time a CAF license course took place in Nigeria was in 2017, when about 80 coaches took part in a two-week C license course in Abuja.

As the women’s course marks the return of CAF courses to Nigeria, Gusau said two more courses for men will follow before the end of the year.

“Before the end of the year, also, CAF C licenses and CAF B licenses for men will commence,” Gusau said in Osogbo during a visit to Osun State last weekend.

“So, we’re doing everything possible to bring all these courses together. We want to start with the women because it has never happened with the female football coaches.”

During the opening ceremony of the first-ever women’s course on Monday, the NFF president pledged more support for the growth of women’s coaches in the country.

“FIFA has been putting a lot of premium on women’s football over the years, and we are also happy to follow suit,” Gusau said in a statement released by the NFF.

“Women’s football continues to grow worldwide, and our country should not be any different. Whatever we are doing, without training those who train the footballers, we are not doing anything meaningful. Those who train the players must continuously improve their own capacity for knowledge of modern tactics and techniques in order to make our teams much better.

“This is the whole essence of the women-exclusive CAF-C License Course. By next year, we hope to conduct a CAF-B course, and by the following year, perhaps a CAF-A course.”

According to the NFF Technical Director, Augustine Eguavoen, the women’s course is in three modules, with the first module from July 15 to 25, to be followed by a two-week internship for the participants between July 27 and August 7. The participants will return to Abuja for the second module that is scheduled for August 12–20, after which they will go on another two-week internship from August 23–September 3.

The third module, which comes with examinations for the participants, will take place from September 9 to 19.

Among the instructors for the course are NFF’s Head of Education, Terry Eguaoje, Ladan Bosso, Wemimo Olanrewaju, and Lanrence Ndaks.

Some of the 30 participants are former Super Falcons stars Precious Dede, Joy Jegede, Esther Michael, Maureen Eke, Otas Ogbonmwan, Vera Okolo, Cecilia Nku, Taiwo Ajobiewe, Gloria Ofoegbu, and Amenze Aighewi.