The immediate past Technical Adviser of Enyimba International Football Club, Coach Usman Abdallah has said he was forced to leave the club because the management refused to give him a free hand to do his job. In this interview with Trust Sports, the Franco-Nigerian coach who is now in charge of Wikki Tourists of Bauchi among other things lamented over undue interference in his job and poor welfare for players which he said made it impossible for him to realise his dream of a continental title with the former African champions.
Your exit from Enyimba surprised many people. What really went wrong?
I left Enyimba when it became glaring that I was not going to achieve my dream in the club. I joined Enyimba, not for money but to win trophies especially continental titles. However, the management didn’t give me a free hand to do the job I was employed to do. Some people in the club felt they know everything about football, so they unduly interfered in technical matters which didn’t go down well with me. I stayed hoping that things would change but they were not ready to do things professionally. The worst of it was that when I insisted the right things should be done, the environment became violent and hostile. We disagreed over so many things including poor welfare of the players. Although we had some issues and I left, I can’t say that there were no good times in Enyimba.
Did you leave Enyimba or you were sacked as reported in the media?
When I left Enyimba, many people felt I was sacked because of the loss to Plateau United. The truth is that even before that match, I wanted to leave. I sat several times to discuss with the management of the club. We were moving forth and back so I got fed up. When we were returning from Algeria after one of our continental matches, I offered to leave the club. And after our NPFL match, I think against Lobi Stars, I plainly told the chairman that I felt it was time for me to go. I said I was not comfortable with the working relationship. So after the match in Jos, I asked my assistant Fatai Osho to take over the team. It was only Jude that I spoke to about my decision. He said I should take my time and think about it. From Jos, I left for my home town, Kano. However, two days later, I was shocked when I saw different headlines that I was sacked. But when I read through there was nothing like a sack. Enyimba said I was not sacked but relieved of my duties. I wasn’t bothered because I wanted to escape from the club so whether I was sacked or not, I have left. I don’t care if I was sacked or not. It is not my business, I remain Usman Abdallah. Despite everything, I still have a good relationship with Enyimba. When I returned to Aba with Wikki Tourists, I got tremendous welcome. I will always wish them well. This is football and coaches keep going round and round, that is why I didn’t want to wash our dirty blankets in public.
It is said the club felt you were responsible for their unsatisfactory performance in the continent this year, would you accept responsibility for their lacklustre outing?
No, and the reason is that having won the 2019 League title, my next target was to win a continental trophy. So at the beginning of the season, I set out to put in place a formidable squad but still maintaining the core of the team that won the league. I was going into a continental contest so I didn’t want to go in with a completely new squad. After I brought in few players like Cyril Olisiema, Reuben Bala and Victor Mbaoma, I had a stable and formidable squad. For the first time, I was given a chance to bring in players. Unfortunately, they always complained of lack of money, so we didn’t have adequate preparation. When the Champions League started, they were always interfering. They didn’t want me to make use of these players who won the league for us. They preferred most of the new players we recruited. They didn’t understand that the new players needed time to blend. They felt these are big players who should be played immediately. So they kept imposing on the squad players who were not fit enough to play. Eventually, we crashed out of the Champions League down to the Confederation Cup. In the Confederations Cup, we stood a good chance of winning the title but the interference continued and it was not possible for me to execute my winning strategies. It was not a pleasant experience.
With all that you have said, do you see Enyimba winning a continental title anytime soon?
I doubt very much, if they don’t change. There are people in the club who don’t know the job but feel since they have been there for several years, they know everything. But it is old fashion. Most of them are outdated. They don’t want to work with someone who understands them and knows exactly what they are doing. They are still dreaming of what they did before but they can’t do it again. With what they are doing, I don’t think they are a team that can win a continental trophy. If things were done the way I planned and they left things to me, we would have won this year’s Confederation Cup because we had weak opponents we could have beaten easily.
You are one of the coaches that have applied for the National U-20 job. How do you fancy your chance of getting the job?
I applied because I know I stand a good chance of picking the job. When it comes to qualification for the job, I think I have the qualification to be the coach of the national U-20 team or any of the national teams. But it all depends on the NFF because I have proven myself in the country. If you look at my past records, my credentials and wealth of experience, you will agree with me that I am eminently qualified for the job. Nigeria needs people like us. We deserve to be given the chance so that we can prove ourselves. If appointed, I will be very happy because I know I can do the job.
If appointed, what would you do differently to improve the fortunes of the team?
The national U-20 team is an age-grade team. The national U-17, U-20 and U-23 are all cadet teams that should be a chance for home-based players to represent this country. In the past, the U-20 team has been dominated by foreign-based players. However, you will agree with me that these foreign players most times start here and when they leave after a month or two, they are considered good enough to play for the national teams. I think it is the best chance to give to our local boys. I think we have them here for us to mould so that they can become superstars.
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