By Abuja, Nigeria – In a major boost for Nigerian football, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officially launched the CAF B Licence Coaching Course for men’s football coaches on Tuesday, marking the first top-grade coaching course in the country in seven years.
The four-week course, which commenced in Abuja, features 24 Nigerian coaches and one Tanzanian coach. The last CAF B Licence course in Nigeria was held in 2017, where 80 coaches participated in a two-week training programme.
During the opening ceremony, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau expressed his satisfaction with the course’s commencement and revealed plans to introduce a CAF A Licence Coaching Course by the end of the year.
“Today marks a moment of great joy for me,” Gusau said, emphasizing the importance of developing modern coaching techniques. “This initiative has long been in the planning stages, and seeing it materialize today is incredibly fulfilling.” He stressed the course’s significance in enhancing the coaches’ understanding of contemporary football strategies, particularly with the integration of modern technology.
The NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, underscored the course’s impact on Nigerian football leagues, stating, “Without quality coaches, player performance and league standards will suffer. Our objective is to equip coaches with modern coaching methods to help us discover and nurture talent.”
NFF Technical Director, Augustine Eguavoen, explained that the programme would unfold in phases over four weeks and will eventually be regionalized to extend its reach to other parts of the country. “For effective learning, the environment must be conducive, allowing everyone to engage and interact,” Eguavoen said.
