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| Vogts ready for Nigeria challenge |
1/18/2007 |
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Berti Vogts says his troubled tenure as Scotland coach will help him be a success in his new job as manager of the Nigerian national side.
The German spent three disastrous years in charge of the Scots from 2001 to 2004 during which time the team''''s international standing slumped to an all-time low.
He has been mainly on the sidelines since being sacked from that job and it was to general suprise that he was named as Nigeria''''s new coach on Monday.
The 60-year-old Vogts said that his time in Scotland would prove invaluable to his work with the Super Eagles.
"It''''s impossible to learn all of Nigeria''''s 38 different languages and dialects and anyway all the players speak English," said Vogts whose powers of communication in his second language were a constant source of ridicule in Scotland.
"On top of that, anyone who has survived in Scotland can survive in Nigeria."
The Vogts'''' appointment has met with a mixed reaction in Nigerian football circles with critics pointing to his abysmal record with Scotland and his lack of experience of African football.
But the former German national team coach countered that most of Nigeria''''s top players were based in Europe where he would spend most of his time.
"But also I want to plan for the future of Nigerian football," he said."
"I intend to set up structures that will help develop players at all age levels."
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