Emmanuel Amuneke’s appointment as coach of Tanzania’s senior national soccer team takes him to East Africa exactly 20 years after Christian Chukwu was hired as Manager of Kenya’s Harambee Stars. Another compatriot and ex-Rangers, Harrison Okagbue, was in charge of Cranes of Uganda as well.
The Taifa Stars have remained perennial under achievers and Amuneke will be expected to push them at least into the Africa Cup of Nations where their most memorable exploit was playing in the same group A with eventual champions Nigeria in 1980.The former Eagles left winger will also be fighting to better the records of Chukwu and Okagbue who did not offer much.
The Nigerian has what it takes to get things done having excelled as coach of the all conquering Golden Eaglets who won the FIFA Under 17 title in 2015. Two years earlier he was also part of the team when they won the championship for the fourth time. Amuneke also had stints in Saudi Arabia and Sudan respectively.
A successful player, Amuneke, won the CAF Champions League with Zamalek, Egypt and his goals earned Nigeria a second Nations Cup in 1994 and Africa’s first Olympic soccer medal at Atlanta ’96. One prominent member of the Argentine team that won silver, Diego Simone, is presently one of the leading coaches in the Spanish La Liga.
The most successful Nigerian coach, home and away, remains Stephen Keshi. The Big Boss handled Togo from 2004 to 2008 and returned in 2011. He was in Mali between 2008 and 2010. His record as the first Nigerian to take three Nations[ Togo, Mali, Nigeria] to the Africa Nations Cup still stands.
Keshi was the first Nigerian to qualify another country for the World Cup. That was in 2005,on the way to the Germany 2006 Mundial. Sacked after earning the ticket, he eventually made the World Cup in 2014, with the Super Eagles. Keshi was the second man to win the Nations Cup as player[1994] and as coach[2013].
Chukwu got his Harambee Stars job through Noel Okorougo and Sports marketers, Pro Sports. He was also in Lebanon briefly as a club coach. Like Keshi, Chairman won the Nations in 1980 as captain. Unlike Keshi, his best as a coach was bronze in 2004 although he was an assistant when Clemens Westerhof led the Eagles to victory in 1994.
Okagbue was neither a prominent player with Sharks nor a star with Rangers. He was assistant coach of Udoji United under Willy Bazuaye. As coach of Uganda, he became popular when that country’s U-23 squad was drawn in the same group as Nigeria, Angola and Zimbabwe in the Sydney 2000 Olympics qualifiers.
In the last matches, Nigerian officials had to beg him to beat Angola in Kampala to boost the Dream Team’s chances. Okagbue was even promised a ticket to watch the Games in Australia.He failed, Angola beat Uganda 1-0. Nigeria thrashed Zimbabwe, so that result meant nothing.
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The first Nigerian to handle another country should be Kashima Laloko who was Manager, Scorpions of Zambia. After him was Sunday Ekunwe. Iffy Onuorah did not play in Nigeria but he played against the Eagles in 2014 as coach of Ethiopia. His sister, Anyika, represented Great Britain at the Olympics.
Adegboye Onigbinde was Technical Adviser of Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 17 team just before the Sydney Olympic Games. By the time that country hosted the FIFA Championships in 2001, the Golden Eaglets hit the grand finale where they lost to France. the French had lost to Nigerians in their group game.
Thompson Usiyen won Nigeria’s first Nations Cup medal, a bronze, in 1976. Shortly after, he journeyed to the United States. His last match for the Eagles was against Algeria in 1981. Usiyen returned to Nigeria in 1999, as a member of the coaching crew of the United States to the FIFA Under 20 championships.
