Super Eagles goalkeepers trainer Ike Shorunmu has hit back at the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), accusing it of lying to Nigerians about his absence from the team’s camp for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations double‑header qualifiers against Guinea‑Bissau on Friday. Shorunmu told The Guardian on Monday that he and assistant coach Finidi George were instructed by the NFF not to join the squad for the qualifiers at the request of head coach José Peseiro.
The NFF responded in a statement, which was made available to our correspondent, that the federation had implemented a “rotation policy” among the assistant coaches as part of cost‑cutting measures. After parting ways with Franco‑German coach Gernot Rohr on 15 May 2022, the NFF appointed Peseiro as the new head coach, naming Finidi George as his first assistant, Salisu Yusuf as second assistant, Usman Abdallah as third assistant, Shorunmu as goalkeepers trainer, and Eboboritse Uwejamomere as match analyst. The federation said it had to reduce the number of technical staff for games because of their “high number,” emphasizing that there was “no victimisation, sleight of hand or any disrespect intended in their decision.”
According to the NFF, the rotation policy applies only to matches; during tournaments all assistants travel with the team. The statement explained that Finidi George had traveled for the friendly in Portugal, and the next trip would involve Usman Abdallah, who was simply taking his turn for the program against Guinea‑Bissau. Salisu Yusuf had been assigned to the U23 team. The federation also claimed Shorunmu “showed a clear lack of desire to be in camp for the matches against Guinea‑Bissau,” adding that when the head coach realized Shorunmu was unwilling to come, he requested Olatunji Baruwa—whom he had observed at the U20 AFCON in Egypt—to train the goalkeepers.
The NFF acknowledged broader challenges concerning coaches’ contracts and said it was working to resolve them quickly. However, former Besiktas goalkeeper Shorunmu denied the federation’s allegations, describing the NFF’s actions as unprofessional. He argued that it is easy for the NFF to claim he lacked desire to report to camp while the federation’s officials receive salaries, whereas the assistant coaches have been working without contracts since May 2022 and have not been paid for months. Shorunmu said they requested contracts after the friendly against Portugal in November, were told the new NFF board had been elected and that contracts would be ready by December, but nothing has been done. He also questioned why Salisu Yusuf and Usman Abdallah were excluded from the crew for the Portugal game, noting that no rotation policy had been communicated to them. Shorunmu concluded that the federation should tell the truth, stop lying, and give the staff what they deserve.
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