Sunday Oliseh, who was appointed Super Eagles head coach in 2015 following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), said the working conditions he encountered were shocking for a nation with Nigeria’s football pedigree.

Speaking during an episode of Oliseh’s Global Football Insights Podcast on YouTube, the former Juventus midfielder disclosed that the team often trained without essential tools.

“When I was coaching the Super Eagles, we didn’t have the equipment,” Oliseh said.

He went on to describe a particularly troubling situation where training sessions had to be delayed simply because the players did not have enough kits to wear.

“Sometimes I had to take the boys to training, but we couldn’t go at the usual time because we had to wait for the clothes they wear in the morning to dry, since they washed them,” he added.

According to Oliseh, the situation was difficult to comprehend, especially given Nigeria’s status as one of Africa’s most prominent football nations. He noted that securing sponsorships and basic training gear should never have been an issue.

“Those were the things I was facing. It was surprising to me because I knew that a strong country like ours should not have trouble getting sponsors,” he said.

Despite these obstacles, Oliseh’s spell with the Super Eagles delivered encouraging results. He successfully guided the CHAN Eagles to qualification for the African Nations Championship in Rwanda and oversaw a largely positive run with the senior national team.

Under his leadership, Nigeria lost just two matches, scored 19 goals and conceded only six in 14 games before his departure in February 2016.