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| James Peters has taken over Super Falcons |
Today, it’s my pleasure to bring to Nigerians the nation’s current super coach, Bala Nikyu, who has the might to handle three different positions courtesy of his god-father, James Peters, concurrently.
Nikyu is the chief coach of the national U-13 team that went to England earlier in the year. He is assistant coach to the Super Falcons and head coach, football, at the FCT Sports Council.
The Nigerian Under-13 boys that played in the International Youth football tournament organised by the English Premiership League which took place in London from 19th to 23rd August, 2010 was coached by Bala Nikyu. The bargain was to include James Peters’ son, Roosevelt, who was listed as a striker.
The players that went on that trip were supposed to have been chosen during the last U-13 national competition. Of all the teams that played in the qualifying championship, there is no team where Roosevelt’s name appeared, even as unfielded player.
Double-checks from some of the players who went on the London trip revealed, according to one of the innocent players: “the boy cannot even kick the ball lest controlling it. He just went with us to make up the number. He did not even train with us for once.”
The same coach Bala Nikyu is heading the technical crew of FC Abuja and also chief coach of the FCT sports council.
Presently, there are allegations that coach James Peters did not allow the coaches of the Super Falcons preparing for the African Women Championships (AWC) to do their job. He was also alleged to have ‘donated’ the job of assistant coach to Bala Nikyu and Gidado Usman. Ironically, the two assistants never coached any women team ever. It is on record that Gidado was sacked by the management of Voice of Nigeria FC early last year and he was impeached as the Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Abuja branch.
However, the latest gist in town, according to some of the girls in the sex-scandal Trinidad & Tobago team, coach (James Peters) seized the jerseys which they played with in the championships which were supposed to be complimentary to the players. Please ask, where are these jerseys?
I am unwilling to challenge some of your facts - like calling James Peter, Bala's God father and Bala hratifying Peters by picking his son.
ReplyDeleteI however think you were very unfair to the young man who is already an achiever.
* He led the FCT Under 17 team to winning the Gpld at the Patile Cup in Sweden in the early 90s
* At the Bauchi 1991 Sports Festival, he led Team FCT to the Silver.
* He was instrumental to the greater success of SEC FC, Abuja until the owners decided to sel the pro league outfit, due to poor management (not underperformance)
* He was once assistant coach at Plateau United and assistant coach of Gombe United, when Ladan Bosso was busy with the National Under 20 team.
He later came back to Jos as Head Coach of Plateau United and last Season, he coached FC Abuja in the National Div 1 League last season - they missed promotion by a single point.
It is rather amazing that you did not write of these emperical facts in your piece and I feel your not being able to state that he tooj a team that was truly Under 13 to England and won all of their matches and the trophy was a pointer that you had made up your mind to be bias against Coach Bala Nikyu.
Go through the facts and you will find it in a corner that Bala also was Coach of FCT Queens intermitently and in various capacities, with remarkable results.
As I speak with you, Bala is a subject of a tustle between FC Abuja and Nasarawa United who wants the Kaduna born coach desperately.
@ Anonymous: While I do agree to a lot of the issues raised in this comment. I know it is not the job of a reporter to start to run the praises or records of a coach.
ReplyDeleteThe major issues Fashikun raised that needed anwsers include: how did coach Nikyu picked James Peters' son, Roosevelt? Is the boy a footballer? Did he allow himself to be used by James Peters to pick the boy into his team? Did James Peters used his position in the NFA to unduly make Bala Nikyu take the decision?
Is Nikyu the only coach who can be saddled with handling three positions at a go?
Did the younger coaches not complain of interference in their job of handling the Super Falcons? What are the precincts of James Peters' job as the head of technical of the NFA?
These are the issues not the mundane records a coach has posted as to make it cover the issues of contest and truth that is the usual business of a journalist. I vote by Fashikun.