Coach Eguavoen, Gombe United
It is not strange to find big names working in the less prestigious lower division and that will be the picture when Nigeria’s second tier football league, known as the Nigeria National League begins, in May.
There will be several popular names shouting from the sidelines to ensure their clubs gain
promotion to the top flight.
Supersport.com profiles the big names who will be working in the NNL this term.
Austin Eguavoen: Gombe United
Nigeria’s USA ’94 and France ’98 World Cup star, Austin Eguavoen, will be the biggest name in the dug-out when the 2014/15 Nigeria National League season begins.
Back in 1994, Eguavoen was match day captain when the Super Eagles lifted the Afcon, in Tunisia.
Add his role as a former Super Eagles coach, who was in charge during the Egypt 2006 Afcon, then you’ll understand why he will light up Nigeria’s second division.
Eguavoen joined Gombe United after the exit of Maurice Cooreman, but his effort was not enough to stop the club from going down.
At club level, he has managed Bendel Insurance, Enyimba, Sharks and COD United, but this assignment at Gombe United will turn out to be his biggest test at club level.
Gombe United will have to contend with life in the lower class for the first time since their promotion to the defunct Professional League Division I in 1994 and Eguavoen has the unenviable task of returning the club to the top flight.
Maurice Cooreman: Ikorodu United
The much-travelled Cooreman has coached everywhere in Nigeria and steps down to the lower division for the first time since he started his career in the Nigerian league with Gabros International, in 2003.
Ikorodu United may be new in the league, but certainly not Cooreman.
Apart from Gabros, Cooreman has coached Lobi, NPA, Bendel Insurance, Ocean Boys, Enyimba, Kaduna United and Gombe United all in the top flight.
Cooreman won the league with Ocean Boys, in 2006 as well as Enyimba, in 2007 and led Kaduna United to Federation Cup glory for the first time, in 2010.
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A year later, he took the club to the group stage of the Caf Confederation Cup.
Today, his job is to mid-wife debutants, Ikorodu United into Premier League material.
Roland Ewere: Bendel Insurance
Fondly called 'Chief' at defunct Glamour Boys, Julius Berger, Ewere made his name at Bendel Insurance when he led the club to win the defunct Caf Cup in 1994 as well as feature in three Wafu Club Cup finals (1993, 1994 and 1995).
Times have changed and the famous Insurance have since become a struggling side.
Ironically, the club’s dwindling fortunes forced Eguavoen to seek for greener pastures at Gombe United.
However, Ewere continues to patch up the remains of the club hoping for light at the end of the tunnel.
Lukman Oshun: First Bank
Lukman Oshun will continue from where he stopped with First Bank, last term.
It was a close call for the Bankers but they lost the ticket on the last day at Go Round.
Oshun made his name in the old division one league and is a former international.
Abdullahi Biffor: Niger Tornadoes
Biffor might be the odd man amongst the lot, but earns his place for coaching Giwa FC in the top flight, last term.
Interestingly, he brought Giwa FC from the lower division to the top flight before returning to the lower cadre to coach Kogi United, all in 2014.
Today, he is the man in charge of Niger Tornadoes and the task is to return the club to the big league.
“My target is to gain promotion to the Premier League,” he told supersport.com.
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