I want to be Super Eagles’ coach again —Samson Siasia

Former Super Eagles’ coach, Samson Siasia

Former Super Eagles’ coach, Samson Siasia, discusses life outside the pitch. In this interview, he also unveils another side of him

How is life after being a national coach?

Life, for me, continues even after coaching the national team. I am actually busy with an academy that is situated in Bayelsa State. We are trying to see how we can get the young ones off the streets and engage them in something positive.

Do you have a target as regards football?

Target would be to understudy coaches and this involves training them in the art of managing the game of football; just the way it is done in Barcelona, Arsenal and others. For now, I am just trying to get the academy started in Bayelsa, it is a project that is sponsored by the state government.

What is the progress of work in the academy?

The stage we are in now is the initial stage, which is acquisition of the land that we will build the academy on and taking delivery of the sports equipment.  After that, we will start scouting for the young ones, mostly Bayelsans, who are skilled enough to train.  In the long run, we will expand the project to a national level.  It is a project that combines education with sports.

How does it feel to have the Bayelsa stadium named after you?

The biggest thing any living person would want to achieve is to have a living legacy. There is no amount of ‘thank you’ that would be enough for the state government for allowing the Bayelsa State stadium be named after me. I feel greatly honoured for the rare privilege of being made a living legend. I am indebted to the state because it is what some people never had before they died. This is something I would cherish for the rest of my life.

How was your growing up days like?

I grew up in Ajegunle, Lagos and it was a very tough experience.  Back then in the 80s, you could not even tell a girl that you lived there because she would not go out with you.

What did you have to do to get a lady’s attention?

If you are trying to get a lady’s attention and she wanted to know where you lived, you would not say Ajegunle, you would say ‘Apapa.’ Apapa is a more refined name than Ajegunle.

At what point did you decide to become a footballer?

Right from when I was a little kid, I showed potential.  There was a football field in Navy ground, Ajegunle, and that was where all the young boys played.

  Women love famous people, how do you handle some of them that may throw themselves at you?

You don’t have to be snobbish. One should talk to them politely, thank them for their compliments and if you are not interested in the advances, let them know politely.  When you are star, you have to be nice and polite.

You are mostly dressed in white, is there anything special in white?

White is a good colour, you can combine white with a lot of other colours. I guess it looks good. I do not wear just any kind of white shirts. They are selected and are special white shirts. It is not like there is anything special, but it is what I just like to wear sometimes.

Are they designer shirts?

Of course, they are. The ones I wear are from Prada.

Are you a label freak?

No. I wear any kind of design that looks good on me. If I am going to wear only Prada all through, that means I am being sponsored by Prada to wear their designs. But it has to be something that suits me and makes me look good. Other than that, I can get into Gucci or any other store and pick up something but it has to make me look good.

What does style mean to you?

Style is when you come out, people admire you and tell you that you look good.

What are the clothes that make you comfortable?

Sometimes, T-shirts, which I wear mostly in the evenings. If I go to the office, I dress in suit and a tie.

What is your favourite fashion accessory?

I am a shoe freak; I have over 40 pairs of shoes.

That means in a week you wear up to 10 pairs?

I just change them to suit what I am wearing.

What would you never be caught wearing?

Agbada and that funny hat. I have never worn it before but they gave it to me as a gift when I visited one of the states in Nigeria. I only wore it on that occasion and since then, I have not worn it. But I like dressing in suits, trousers and shirts. I also don’t wear so much of the native designs from my area; I have only worn them once or twice

Is your wife a football addict?

No. She is not.

You don’t watch football together?

Once in a while she does. Like when the Super Eagles are playing, she would be very excited. When I was coaching, she could not watch, she would be walking around, praying. Then, people would think she was crazy if they did not know what she was doing. She has never watched me on the field of coaching.

Does she accompany you when you are at work?

When I was a coach in the national team, we moved together.  She watched tournaments especially when we were in Europe, but she is not a soccer freak.

So, she was not attracted to your skills on the field?

When I met her, she did not know anything about sports, she did not know I was a footballer, she found out later.

Where did you meet her?

We met in Benin, where I was based at the time.

What was the attraction?

She was a beautiful young lady, I liked her, we started hanging out and eventually got married.

For how long have you been married?

For a very long time.

Was this before you played in international clubs?

Yes, we travelled together; had kids, now they live in the United States.

What is your favourite food?

I love rice, plantain and some eggs.

Is there any food you don’t take?

I am very selective, I don’t eat just any kind of food and I don’t like amala at all! I take the local delicacy but that is only once in a while. I don’t eat starch either. I only eat the Kekefiyai, that is the best delicacy from Bayelsa State.

Aside football, how do you unwind?

I create time to have fun and hang out with my friends.

Any regrets in your chosen career?

I did not play for the biggest clubs in the world. The biggest club I ever played for was in France and I was not as successful as other Nigerian players who played in big clubs in Europe. I am okay with what I have been able to do so far. There are no regrets; I only hope that I would be able to affect more lives before I leave this earth. That is why I am trying to touch a lot of lives, trying to help the young ones.

Do you have dreams?

Yes I do. I always dream that someday I will become a Super Eagles’ coach again and learn from the mistakes that I have made before. I want to build a nice empire, where I will be able to create jobs for young men, so they will be empowered to take care of their families.  I want to make sure I take care of my kids and give them the best education there is in the world.