Sunday Oliseh has resigned as coach of Nigeria citing contract violations, unpaid wages and lack of support. Oliseh has only been on the job for eight months. The 41-year-old’s decision to quit comes just ahead of next month’s crucial 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers against group leaders Egypt. “Your contractual violations and the interest of the nation necessitates that I tender my resignation,” he wrote to the Nigeria Football Federation. “Since so little help is being rendered me in getting the players to give their best and very vital conditions and advantages to the team play are also being sacrificed coupled with non-redress of the aforementioned despite my several e-mails and others, seeking your aid to effectively carry out my duties were ignored. “These unconducive working conditions that my coaching crew and myself have to live with, your contractual violations and the interest of the nation necessitates that I tender my resignation and recourse to the termination of our working agreement,” The NFF technical director Shaibu Amodu, who has managed the national team on four occasions, is widely expected to take charge of the team on temporary basis.

Former Nigeria captain Oliseh, who succeeded Stephen Keshi as coach in July 2015, has seen his reign in charge of the national team blighted by controversies. Some high profile players have retired since he took over as coach including goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama – Nigeria’s most-capped player – who quit after he was replaced as captain. Two weeks later striker Emmanuel Emenike also announced his retirement from international football. In early February, a frustrated Oliseh sensationally posted an extraordinary eight-minute video rant on his own website to hit back at what he called the “insanity” of his critics. He had come under pressure after Nigeria failed to get past the group stages of the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda. The coach later apologised to the NFF for his outburst aimed at the Nigerian media as well as his vociferous former international teammates. Oliseh had also gone public with the money problems affecting his team during the continental tournament in Rwanda to the embarrassment of his employers. Nigeria face seven-time African champions Egypt in back-to-back 2017 African Cup of Nations fixtures next month. They are two points behind group leaders Egypt after two rounds of matches with only group winners guaranteed automatic qualification to the tournament in Gabon.

MOST PEOPLE PREDICTED THAT OLISEH’S REIGN WILL BE CRISIS LADEN. THIS IS DEFINITELY A WRONG TIME TO RESIGN BEARING IN MIND THAT NIGERIA HAS TWO CRUCIAL GAMES AGAINST EGYPT IN MARCH. IS OLISEH DODGING THOSE GAMES? DID HE CHICKEN OUT?