BY KUNLE SOLAJA, ALMERE, THE NETHERLANDS

Nigeria football is fast becoming a theatre of comedy as the country comes to global limelight only for the wrong reasons. The atmosphere is so fouled that no high ranking or self respecting coach will dream of handling the Nigerian national football team.

In other climes, the likes of Bruno Labbadia would have been sued for making a huge country a global laughing stock. But that is if the one-sided tale the is open to the public is anything to go by.

No employee will expect that employer will be expected to offset double taxation – both to his native land and also to the country employing him.

What has the case been with the others before Labbadia? Taxation is obviously not a new concept in employee-employer relationship.

Sad still, this is coming close to the beginning of qualifying series of a competition as the country has fared badly in another one, the World Cup qualifiers. The timing of the announcement of the employment  and that of the withdrawal is also a source of concern.

Both happened when Nigerians and stakeholders were possibly asleep. This has happened. It may still happen again since what goes round comes round.

Labbadia has predecessors. Here they are:

• Jesse Carver, England (1960)

Jesse Carver, England

He was initially announced to handle the Nigerian team in 1960.  But at a council meeting of the NFA on Sunday 24 July 1960, it was decided that the earlier terms that the coach had given were no longer acceptable and hence, the offer was withdrawn. When Carver was interviewed in London he agreed to come on a 12-month contract. He later wrote the NFA that he would not be available for more than two months.

  He also demanded for return tickets for two people. Carver no doubt had impressive credentials having coached top Italian clubs like SS Lazio, Roma, Torino and Juventus apart from his handling of English side, West Bromwich Albion for eight months in 1952.

Following Jesse Carver’s failure to accept Nigeria’s offer, Hungarian George Varda became an alternative. Carver died on 29 November 2003.

• Othman Calder, Germany, 1974

Othman Calder

Othman Calder  handled German sides, FC Cologne and FC Kaiserslautern II, among others before coming to Nigeria on 20 December  1974. But the German coach  left mysteriously barely eight days after screening 37 players he met in camp. Among the players was Segun Odegbami who had his first call-up.

   But according to the German, more than a third of the players he met in camp had past their peak and must be systematically replaced.

   But that was not the reason for his sudden disappearance. The National Sports Commission (NSC) which employed him, rejected the ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ terms proposed by the coach.

The terms include a free of charge posh car which should be either a new Citreon DS or Mercedes 200 and specifically, a certain Mr. Ephraim Nwaoha as the driver.

  Other terms were: tax free monthly salary of 6,000 Dutch Mark part of which must be paid upfront; free freighting of all personal household effects to Nigeria and return of such to Germany at the end of his tour of duty.

A rent free furnished flat or house at Ikoyi or Victoria Island and the accommodation must be acceptable to all members of his family.

In addition, in the interim period of securing the accommodation, his family should be housed free in a senior suite at the Federal Palace Hotel.

• Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian (1995)

Carlos Alberto Torres

He was the former captain of the 1970 Brazil World Cup winning squad is the Brazilian coach Nigeria never had.

He was engaged in May 1995 just as the Super Eagles were heading to the US for the Gold Cup. He asked to just be allowed to observe the team and then take over after the US Gold Cup.

So, Amodu Shaibu continued as he had been employed barely a year earlier. Torres was with the team throughout the US Gold Cup competition but failed to  return to Nigeria to sign his contract.  He died on 25 October 2016.

• Philippe Troussier, France (2005)

Philippe Troussier

Popularly called the “White Witchdoctor”, Troussier became the first Frenchman to ever handle the Nigerian national team as well as the first coach to have handled a team against Nigeria in World Cup qualification and came in the next edition to guide the Super Eagles.

Troussier handled Cote d’Ivoire in their failed attempt to upstage Nigeria in the 1994 World Cup qualifying series.

  But midway into the 1998 edition he was engaged to take over from Amodu Shaibu. His contract with Nigeria was however not renewed after securing the France ’98 World Cup ticket.

He was to be engaged again in 2005. The the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) announced his engagement. But in apparent retaliation on how he was sacked in 1997, he turned down the offer just days to the signing of contract.

• Paul Le Guen, Frenchman (2016)

Paul Le Guen

The Frenchman was gleefully announced as the Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser on 18 July 2016.  He was to be assisted by Salisu Yusuf.  Le Guen had steered the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.

He played for Brest, Nantes and Paris Saint Germain and won 17 caps for France, before coaching Rennes, Lyon, PSG (in France) and Glasgow Rangers (in Scotland). He also coached Oman.

He never showed up and German, Gernot Rohr was employed instead on 5 August 2016. Le Guen was quoted as saying that the security concerns in the Nigeria was the reason he turned down the job as he was not prepared to live in Nigeria.