Mike Emenalo Speaks on Racism, etc......

[Enugu II]

Note how he compliments his experience in Nigeria to what he introduced at Chelsea. Yet, many on this very CE will never believe this because nothing can ever be good from Nigeria. When Okey Emordi introduce a goalkeeper to win pls shootout with Enyimba no one remembered in CE but a few years later Chelsea manager does it at the European championship it was hailed as a coaching revolution! Wait , not by Europeans but by CE guys! Today, the NFF is introducing PWC to vet hiring of coaches and yet guys on CE are condemning it while hailing the 'old boys network' still used in the EPL is the way to go. Ewe know what will happen 5 years down the road when EPL begins to hire the likes of PWC for such hiring. Go figure. Racism can be deep and often affect our reasoning without us realizing it.

Interview
Michael Emenalo: ‘The narrative that white is good has to change’
Donald McRae
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -to-change
Sun 19 Jul 2020 03.30 EDT


“One of the reasons I stayed discreet during my time at Chelsea was because I was in a unique situation,” Michael Emenalo says on a grey summer morning as he reflects on his work as the only long-standing black technical director in Premier League history. “I had to choose whether I would let my activism be a distraction or allow my presence to be an inspiration. Some people were waiting for me to become an activist so that was very difficult for me.”

Twenty-eight years have passed since the world’s richest league emerged and only Emenalo and, briefly, Les Ferdinand have breached the citadel of white privilege and power. Ferdinand, QPR’s director of football, was appointed in February 2015, with the club already doomed to relegation three months later.

Emenalo’s sustained breakthrough was very different. He helped steer Chelsea to great success during incessant turbulence – and the club won the Champions League and three Premier League titles under a trio of managers when Emenalo was at the heart of their operations between 2009 and 2017.
Moving from chief scout, his initial job in 2007, to assistant first-team coach and then technical director in 2011, Emenalo worked with 10 managers in 10 years. Apart from one searing television interview, when he confirmed the sacking of José Mourinho in 2015, Emenalo avoided the spotlight. But the “palpable discord” he described between Mourinho and his players provided public evidence of the steely insight that meant he was trusted for so long by Roman Abramovich.

Emenalo cut through the opaque running of Chelsea to produce a long-term vision that still shapes the club. Managers came and went but Emenalo transformed the academy, revolutionised the loan programme and brought in a stream of great players, epitomised by Kevin De Bruyne, who were not always appreciated by managers.

His intelligence and eloquence are evident again during a riveting interview that stretches across three hours. I have interviewed visionaries such as Johan Cruyff, Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola and time with Emenalo is just as illuminating. It also feels more important because we begin by remembering how the murder of George Floyd forced the world to watch a black man being suffocated to death by a white policeman’s knee.
“I couldn’t watch the footage at first,” Emenalo says. “There have been so many over the years that it’s like a tape recorder running through your head. You see all the ones that happened before.

“When I eventually made myself watch it was destructive to see George Floyd calling out for his mum while another human being puts his knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

“This person feels entitled to commit a slow murder – because of the colour of his skin and because other people have not been held accountable for their actions. The precedent entitles you to do what you do. That thought chills me.”

There has been widespread support for the way players have taken the knee before games and worn Black Lives Matter on their shirts since football resumed. Marcus Rashford has shown more compassion and clarity than most politicians. Raheem Sterling spoke powerfully on Newsnight about the dearth of black managers.

But a distinct silence grips the game when addressing the total lack of black directors at Premier League clubs. Emenalo and I meet at the Oatlands Park Hotel in Surrey and we are welcomed into a boardroom, which seems the right place to discuss the absence of diversity in football’s corridors of power.

Emenalo leans forward when I ask if his success at Chelsea could encourage other Premier League clubs to appoint black directors. “I don’t think my story was told the right way to influence the attention. I feel my aptitude and competence has not been presented correctly. And now people are co-opting my work and trying to mask my contribution.”

It sounds as if he does not expect other black directors of football to emerge any time soon. “The narrative has to change. The narrative right now is always that white is good. So it doesn’t matter what Chris Hughton produces as a manager. There’s always someone saying a white guy can do it better. People need to do the right thing. Like Martin Luther King said: ‘Judge me by my competence – not my skin colour.’”

When I was appointed [as technical director] some journalists didn’t think I spoke English
When he worked in silence for so long he must have endured a distressing internal challenge? Emenalo sinks into his chair. He looks relieved to be talking openly. “It was very hard and I have one of your countrymen, a white South African, to thank. Tim Harkness was the club psychologist and my friend. We had many difficult but fruitful conversations. Tim understood I had to suppress a part of myself so I can have an impact by being a presence.

“When I sit behind the bench at a game, I want to be close to my work. But it’s also so that people of my colour could say: ‘I can do that.’ People in the parking lot would say: ‘Oh my God, you don’t know what you mean to us.’ Then I feel even worse because I want to say more.”

Racism doles out many cliches – including the “quiet dignity” of the respectable black man. Emenalo smiles wryly. “Absolutely. It eats at you. When I was appointed [as technical director] some journalists didn’t think I spoke English. They said I had never played the game [Emenalo won 14 caps for Nigeria and marked Diego Maradona and Roberto Baggio in the 1994 World Cup]. Some people said: ‘Why did this Russian owner, who knows thousands and thousands of people, confide in him? He’s African so he must have killed somebody for the owner.’ No one stopped to think it could possibly be because of my intellect or experience.”

Abramovich did stop and think. He soon made up his mind about Emenalo. “Mr Abramovich validated me after two and a half months,” Emenalo says. “I didn’t apply for any of my roles. I came in as head of opposition scout, to help Avram Grant, and met Roman a few times. Apparently what I said made sense to the owner.

“After we lost the 2008 Champions League final Avram was let go. I told Avram I will go with him. Avram said: ‘No. He likes you. He believes in you.’ When I talked to the owner my only request was that I should be relevant. The interpreter smiled when Roman said: ‘Tell him he will be very relevant.’”

It is hard for Emenalo, as a very private man, to talk about his attributes. But, encouraged by me, he continues. “When I became technical director Bruce Buck [Chelsea’s chairman] organised for me to meet numerous journalists at a roundtable [interview]. The club knows my value. They said: ‘Now is the time for you to become a more visible presence.’ So we had this 90-minute conversation and afterwards the journalists said: ‘Wow. We didn’t know all that.’ It’s a back-handed compliment. I came from Africa so how could I know about football? But my success at Chelsea, especially with the academy, comes from my experience in Nigeria.”[/color]

As a young player at one of the most famous clubs in Nigeria, Rangers International, he stood up to the governor of the Ibo region and the minister of sport. When they lambasted the team, Emenalo was the only one who detailed the reasons for their poor run. He changed the narrative because, as he says: “When you are on the side of truth you feel empowered.”

Emenalo showed similar conviction in 1994 when, after playing in the United States and Belgium, he was badly injured. Without a club his World Cup hopes seemed ruined. But he joined Eintracht Trier in German regional football. His aptitude was rewarded and at the World Cup he was Nigeria’s best player against Argentina. He and Maradona ended up in a testing room and while they spoke Emenalo forgot to swap shirts.

Maradona’s international career ended after he failed his drugs test – and Emenalo signed for Notts County. He was told he was going to Nottingham and assumed he was joining Forest, whose European Cup-winning history appealed. But his short time at County, and exposure to English football, shocked and intrigued him. That, my friends, is the deepest and embedded effects of racism. Total control of the mind.
At Chelsea it was assumed he had come from nowhere. Even the 10 sophisticated managers during his tenure needed convincing Emenalo was equipped for his demanding job. “Everybody has a misconception of my knowledge, insight and experience. I did it 10 times with 10 managers. Each time I climbed the hill and convinced them of my worth. I have a university degree in international relations and diplomacy. I know how to deal with people and with situations. I had World Cup experience and been part of this industry on five continents. I said: ‘I’ll give them an opportunity to understand me.’ They all did but it’s not easy starting from ground zero every time.”

While he sacked many of those managers, Abramovich trusted Emenalo to shape his vision for Chelsea. “My argument was that all big clubs had great academies. Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid. But creating a new identity at Chelsea, rooted in the academy, while his ambition is to win trophies, was difficult.”

Apart from improving the academy Emenalo added rigorous innovations – such as the idea that older boys would play 45 games a season so they became used to the gruelling demands of professional football. He also introduced an initially maligned loan system, which meant that more than 30 players a season were sent to different clubs to help them mature.

Chelsea did not always understand and they lost Mo Salah and De Bruyne, whom Emenalo championed, and it took years for the fruits of his academy system to emerge. But the success of the academy and the loan system has been evident in the emergence of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mason Mount and other young talents.

“At first,” Emenalo recalls, “everybody said: ‘Nobody’s come from the academy.’ But a kid who comes to the academy at seven won’t be ready to challenge Frank Lampard when he’s 19. It became key to look at that space between 19 and 22 where we can prepare him to be a Chelsea player. We did that with De Bruyne.

“He was 18, a super talent, but the first time I mentioned that De Bruyne can eventually replace Lampard there was a guffaw of laughter. [Romelu] Lukaku was the same. He’s 18 and I say you have to put five years into him.

“My scouts had identified something was happening in Belgium. Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Chadli, Vertonghen, Courtois. The manager looked at me and said: ‘When did Belgium become Brazil? Who’s this Kevin De Bruyne?’ I told him: ‘I don’t look at passports. I just watch the player. And this player doesn’t miss a pass. I don’t know if he will be a superstar but there’s something here.’”



De Bruyne was loaned to Werder Bremen but in 2014 Chelsea sold him to Wolfsburg. Did it make Emenalo howl with anguish when Chelsea jettisoned De Bruyne, Salah and Lukaku? “It was more painful for the owner. He suffered. But he saw that everything we had discussed was true.”

It was reported widely that Emenalo had offered to resign to smooth José Mourinho’s return to Chelsea in 2013. There was speculation that Mourinho would not enjoy working alongside a technical director, but Abramovich apparently refused to accept Emenalo’s departure. After Mourinho’s arrival, Emenalo says: “We signed Pedro from Barcelona for £30m. It was a good opportunity for me to say: ‘That’s why we need the academy. Either you put £12m into the academy and develop Ruben Loftus-Cheek or you pay £30m to Barcelona for a 28-year-old.’ It was the end of the discussion. The academy became even more important to Chelsea.”

When Mourinho was sacked in 2015, Emenalo took responsibility in his role and confirmed the news in an interview with Chelsea TV. A poor run of results had escalated when Mourinho accused the players of betraying him following a defeat to Leicester. “After the game, in the Leicester boardroom, we see José doing this interview,” Emenalo says. “The narrative was not good. José was hard done by again.”

Emenalo, in a stark and powerful interview, referred to Mourinho as “the individual”. He also chose the term “palpable discord” to describe the breakdown between manager and players. “It was not about José. It was letting people understand you can’t twist the narrative of a big club which had won the title the season before with the same players. Now we are 15th, a point off relegation. I found the right phrase where the players are shocked the person they’ve served so well is criticising them so heavily.”

When Antonio Conte took over in 2016, Emenalo advised him: “If you succeed here you will be the most loved coach in the world. But it’s a lot of pressure. It can be exhilarating, but it can be absolutely painful. I’ve seen grown men in tears. But if you do it, and I think you will, you’ll be loved the way you’ve never been.’ I’m not sure he believed me.

“After he lost to Liverpool and Arsenal there was unnecessary pressure. Everywhere he looked he’s getting sacked. But we’d only played five games and won the first three. His presentation to the players after we had lost 3-0 to Arsenal was fantastic. The way he detailed the reasons why we lost, and what he planned to do, was unbelievable. I told the owner: ‘Conte’s work is good. This is a blip. Trust me.’ Of course we went on to win the title and there was so much adulation for Conte.”

As happened often at Chelsea, Conte’s mood changed within weeks when he felt the club did not support him in the transfer market. Emenalo had already decided he would leave the club first. Was he worn out? “Yes. I was trying to do things creatively. Like changing the scouting platform or creating our loan system while managing a very intense environment. I had to be calm and listen to everyone because one of my most important tasks was being a presence for Roman while staying my own person. I represented him, but took nothing from his authority. It was exhausting.”

Emenalo left Chelsea in November 2017. During his final game he showed rare public emotion. He jumped up and applauded when Andreas Christensen, an academy graduate who had benefited from a loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach, made a telling interception against Manchester United. It followed a heavy defeat against Roma. “I had spoken in the dressing room in Rome,” Emenalo says. “It was only the second time I did but I told the players: ‘This is unacceptable. It’s easy to blame the coach but today the responsibility goes to you guys.’ There was rapt attention.”

The mood lifted but Emenalo needed to step away. Significantly, when Conte followed him at the end of the season, he pinpointed Emenalo’s departure as a primary reason for Chelsea’s slump.

Three weeks after leaving Chelsea, despite being burned out by 10 years on a blue rollercoaster, Emenalo joined Monaco as sporting director. He was still exhausted and the complexities there were even more labyrinthine. He appointed Thierry Henry as manager but the problems at the club were deep-rooted and it was not a surprise when Emenalo left by mutual consent last August.

After three hours Emenalo is fizzing with renewed energy. “The future for me is to get back in the industry. I’ve just turned 55 and I have 12 years of experience at director level. I can perform the job even better now. I would like an opportunity to get back with a serious club – ideally in the Premier League.”

This time, hopefully, Michael Emenalo will be judged on his competence and experience rather than the colour of the skin. He stands up and smiles. “Yes. It’s time for the narrative to change.”

[aruako1]

Note how he compliments his experience in Nigeria to what he introduced at Chelsea. Yet, many on this very CE will never believe this because nothing can ever be good from Nigeria. When Okey Emordi introduce a goalkeeper to win pls shootout with Enyimba no one remembered in CE but a few years later Chelsea manager does it at the European championship it was hailed as a coaching revolution! Wait , not by Europeans but by CE guys! Today, the NFF is introducing PWC to vet hiring of coaches and yet guys on CE are condemning it while hailing the 'old boys network' still used in the EPL is the way to go. Ewe know what will happen 5 years down the road when EPL begins to hire the likes of PWC for such hiring. Go figure. Racism can be deep and often affect our reasoning without us realizing it.

Interview
Michael Emenalo: ‘The narrative that white is good has to change’
Donald McRae
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -to-change
Sun 19 Jul 2020 03.30 EDT


“One of the reasons I stayed discreet during my time at Chelsea was because I was in a unique situation,” Michael Emenalo says on a grey summer morning as he reflects on his work as the only long-standing black technical director in Premier League history. “I had to choose whether I would let my activism be a distraction or allow my presence to be an inspiration. Some people were waiting for me to become an activist so that was very difficult for me.”

Twenty-eight years have passed since the world’s richest league emerged and only Emenalo and, briefly, Les Ferdinand have breached the citadel of white privilege and power. Ferdinand, QPR’s director of football, was appointed in February 2015, with the club already doomed to relegation three months later.

Emenalo’s sustained breakthrough was very different. He helped steer Chelsea to great success during incessant turbulence – and the club won the Champions League and three Premier League titles under a trio of managers when Emenalo was at the heart of their operations between 2009 and 2017.
Moving from chief scout, his initial job in 2007, to assistant first-team coach and then technical director in 2011, Emenalo worked with 10 managers in 10 years. Apart from one searing television interview, when he confirmed the sacking of José Mourinho in 2015, Emenalo avoided the spotlight. But the “palpable discord” he described between Mourinho and his players provided public evidence of the steely insight that meant he was trusted for so long by Roman Abramovich.

Emenalo cut through the opaque running of Chelsea to produce a long-term vision that still shapes the club. Managers came and went but Emenalo transformed the academy, revolutionised the loan programme and brought in a stream of great players, epitomised by Kevin De Bruyne, who were not always appreciated by managers.

His intelligence and eloquence are evident again during a riveting interview that stretches across three hours. I have interviewed visionaries such as Johan Cruyff, Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola and time with Emenalo is just as illuminating. It also feels more important because we begin by remembering how the murder of George Floyd forced the world to watch a black man being suffocated to death by a white policeman’s knee.
“I couldn’t watch the footage at first,” Emenalo says. “There have been so many over the years that it’s like a tape recorder running through your head. You see all the ones that happened before.

“When I eventually made myself watch it was destructive to see George Floyd calling out for his mum while another human being puts his knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

“This person feels entitled to commit a slow murder – because of the colour of his skin and because other people have not been held accountable for their actions. The precedent entitles you to do what you do. That thought chills me.”

There has been widespread support for the way players have taken the knee before games and worn Black Lives Matter on their shirts since football resumed. Marcus Rashford has shown more compassion and clarity than most politicians. Raheem Sterling spoke powerfully on Newsnight about the dearth of black managers.

But a distinct silence grips the game when addressing the total lack of black directors at Premier League clubs. Emenalo and I meet at the Oatlands Park Hotel in Surrey and we are welcomed into a boardroom, which seems the right place to discuss the absence of diversity in football’s corridors of power.

Emenalo leans forward when I ask if his success at Chelsea could encourage other Premier League clubs to appoint black directors. “I don’t think my story was told the right way to influence the attention. I feel my aptitude and competence has not been presented correctly. And now people are co-opting my work and trying to mask my contribution.”

It sounds as if he does not expect other black directors of football to emerge any time soon. “The narrative has to change. The narrative right now is always that white is good. So it doesn’t matter what Chris Hughton produces as a manager. There’s always someone saying a white guy can do it better. People need to do the right thing. Like Martin Luther King said: ‘Judge me by my competence – not my skin colour.’”

When I was appointed [as technical director] some journalists didn’t think I spoke English
When he worked in silence for so long he must have endured a distressing internal challenge? Emenalo sinks into his chair. He looks relieved to be talking openly. “It was very hard and I have one of your countrymen, a white South African, to thank. Tim Harkness was the club psychologist and my friend. We had many difficult but fruitful conversations. Tim understood I had to suppress a part of myself so I can have an impact by being a presence.

“When I sit behind the bench at a game, I want to be close to my work. But it’s also so that people of my colour could say: ‘I can do that.’ People in the parking lot would say: ‘Oh my God, you don’t know what you mean to us.’ Then I feel even worse because I want to say more.”

Racism doles out many cliches – including the “quiet dignity” of the respectable black man. Emenalo smiles wryly. “Absolutely. It eats at you. When I was appointed [as technical director] some journalists didn’t think I spoke English. They said I had never played the game [Emenalo won 14 caps for Nigeria and marked Diego Maradona and Roberto Baggio in the 1994 World Cup]. Some people said: ‘Why did this Russian owner, who knows thousands and thousands of people, confide in him? He’s African so he must have killed somebody for the owner.’ No one stopped to think it could possibly be because of my intellect or experience.”

Abramovich did stop and think. He soon made up his mind about Emenalo. “Mr Abramovich validated me after two and a half months,” Emenalo says. “I didn’t apply for any of my roles. I came in as head of opposition scout, to help Avram Grant, and met Roman a few times. Apparently what I said made sense to the owner.

“After we lost the 2008 Champions League final Avram was let go. I told Avram I will go with him. Avram said: ‘No. He likes you. He believes in you.’ When I talked to the owner my only request was that I should be relevant. The interpreter smiled when Roman said: ‘Tell him he will be very relevant.’”

It is hard for Emenalo, as a very private man, to talk about his attributes. But, encouraged by me, he continues. “When I became technical director Bruce Buck [Chelsea’s chairman] organised for me to meet numerous journalists at a roundtable [interview]. The club knows my value. They said: ‘Now is the time for you to become a more visible presence.’ So we had this 90-minute conversation and afterwards the journalists said: ‘Wow. We didn’t know all that.’ It’s a back-handed compliment. I came from Africa so how could I know about football? But my success at Chelsea, especially with the academy, comes from my experience in Nigeria.”[/color]

As a young player at one of the most famous clubs in Nigeria, Rangers International, he stood up to the governor of the Ibo region and the minister of sport. When they lambasted the team, Emenalo was the only one who detailed the reasons for their poor run. He changed the narrative because, as he says: “When you are on the side of truth you feel empowered.”

Emenalo showed similar conviction in 1994 when, after playing in the United States and Belgium, he was badly injured. Without a club his World Cup hopes seemed ruined. But he joined Eintracht Trier in German regional football. His aptitude was rewarded and at the World Cup he was Nigeria’s best player against Argentina. He and Maradona ended up in a testing room and while they spoke Emenalo forgot to swap shirts.

Maradona’s international career ended after he failed his drugs test – and Emenalo signed for Notts County. He was told he was going to Nottingham and assumed he was joining Forest, whose European Cup-winning history appealed. But his short time at County, and exposure to English football, shocked and intrigued him. That, my friends, is the deepest and embedded effects of racism. Total control of the mind.
At Chelsea it was assumed he had come from nowhere. Even the 10 sophisticated managers during his tenure needed convincing Emenalo was equipped for his demanding job. “Everybody has a misconception of my knowledge, insight and experience. I did it 10 times with 10 managers. Each time I climbed the hill and convinced them of my worth. I have a university degree in international relations and diplomacy. I know how to deal with people and with situations. I had World Cup experience and been part of this industry on five continents. I said: ‘I’ll give them an opportunity to understand me.’ They all did but it’s not easy starting from ground zero every time.”

While he sacked many of those managers, Abramovich trusted Emenalo to shape his vision for Chelsea. “My argument was that all big clubs had great academies. Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid. But creating a new identity at Chelsea, rooted in the academy, while his ambition is to win trophies, was difficult.”

Apart from improving the academy Emenalo added rigorous innovations – such as the idea that older boys would play 45 games a season so they became used to the gruelling demands of professional football. He also introduced an initially maligned loan system, which meant that more than 30 players a season were sent to different clubs to help them mature.

Chelsea did not always understand and they lost Mo Salah and De Bruyne, whom Emenalo championed, and it took years for the fruits of his academy system to emerge. But the success of the academy and the loan system has been evident in the emergence of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mason Mount and other young talents.

“At first,” Emenalo recalls, “everybody said: ‘Nobody’s come from the academy.’ But a kid who comes to the academy at seven won’t be ready to challenge Frank Lampard when he’s 19. It became key to look at that space between 19 and 22 where we can prepare him to be a Chelsea player. We did that with De Bruyne.

“He was 18, a super talent, but the first time I mentioned that De Bruyne can eventually replace Lampard there was a guffaw of laughter. [Romelu] Lukaku was the same. He’s 18 and I say you have to put five years into him.

“My scouts had identified something was happening in Belgium. Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Chadli, Vertonghen, Courtois. The manager looked at me and said: ‘When did Belgium become Brazil? Who’s this Kevin De Bruyne?’ I told him: ‘I don’t look at passports. I just watch the player. And this player doesn’t miss a pass. I don’t know if he will be a superstar but there’s something here.’”



De Bruyne was loaned to Werder Bremen but in 2014 Chelsea sold him to Wolfsburg. Did it make Emenalo howl with anguish when Chelsea jettisoned De Bruyne, Salah and Lukaku? “It was more painful for the owner. He suffered. But he saw that everything we had discussed was true.”

It was reported widely that Emenalo had offered to resign to smooth José Mourinho’s return to Chelsea in 2013. There was speculation that Mourinho would not enjoy working alongside a technical director, but Abramovich apparently refused to accept Emenalo’s departure. After Mourinho’s arrival, Emenalo says: “We signed Pedro from Barcelona for £30m. It was a good opportunity for me to say: ‘That’s why we need the academy. Either you put £12m into the academy and develop Ruben Loftus-Cheek or you pay £30m to Barcelona for a 28-year-old.’ It was the end of the discussion. The academy became even more important to Chelsea.”

When Mourinho was sacked in 2015, Emenalo took responsibility in his role and confirmed the news in an interview with Chelsea TV. A poor run of results had escalated when Mourinho accused the players of betraying him following a defeat to Leicester. “After the game, in the Leicester boardroom, we see José doing this interview,” Emenalo says. “The narrative was not good. José was hard done by again.”

Emenalo, in a stark and powerful interview, referred to Mourinho as “the individual”. He also chose the term “palpable discord” to describe the breakdown between manager and players. “It was not about José. It was letting people understand you can’t twist the narrative of a big club which had won the title the season before with the same players. Now we are 15th, a point off relegation. I found the right phrase where the players are shocked the person they’ve served so well is criticising them so heavily.”

When Antonio Conte took over in 2016, Emenalo advised him: “If you succeed here you will be the most loved coach in the world. But it’s a lot of pressure. It can be exhilarating, but it can be absolutely painful. I’ve seen grown men in tears. But if you do it, and I think you will, you’ll be loved the way you’ve never been.’ I’m not sure he believed me.

“After he lost to Liverpool and Arsenal there was unnecessary pressure. Everywhere he looked he’s getting sacked. But we’d only played five games and won the first three. His presentation to the players after we had lost 3-0 to Arsenal was fantastic. The way he detailed the reasons why we lost, and what he planned to do, was unbelievable. I told the owner: ‘Conte’s work is good. This is a blip. Trust me.’ Of course we went on to win the title and there was so much adulation for Conte.”

As happened often at Chelsea, Conte’s mood changed within weeks when he felt the club did not support him in the transfer market. Emenalo had already decided he would leave the club first. Was he worn out? “Yes. I was trying to do things creatively. Like changing the scouting platform or creating our loan system while managing a very intense environment. I had to be calm and listen to everyone because one of my most important tasks was being a presence for Roman while staying my own person. I represented him, but took nothing from his authority. It was exhausting.”

Emenalo left Chelsea in November 2017. During his final game he showed rare public emotion. He jumped up and applauded when Andreas Christensen, an academy graduate who had benefited from a loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach, made a telling interception against Manchester United. It followed a heavy defeat against Roma. “I had spoken in the dressing room in Rome,” Emenalo says. “It was only the second time I did but I told the players: ‘This is unacceptable. It’s easy to blame the coach but today the responsibility goes to you guys.’ There was rapt attention.”

The mood lifted but Emenalo needed to step away. Significantly, when Conte followed him at the end of the season, he pinpointed Emenalo’s departure as a primary reason for Chelsea’s slump.

Three weeks after leaving Chelsea, despite being burned out by 10 years on a blue rollercoaster, Emenalo joined Monaco as sporting director. He was still exhausted and the complexities there were even more labyrinthine. He appointed Thierry Henry as manager but the problems at the club were deep-rooted and it was not a surprise when Emenalo left by mutual consent last August.

After three hours Emenalo is fizzing with renewed energy. “The future for me is to get back in the industry. I’ve just turned 55 and I have 12 years of experience at director level. I can perform the job even better now. I would like an opportunity to get back with a serious club – ideally in the Premier League.”

This time, hopefully, Michael Emenalo will be judged on his competence and experience rather than the colour of the skin. He stands up and smiles. “Yes. It’s time for the narrative to change.”

Very insightful interview. Many black people in corporate leadership roles can relate.

[okidoki]

Very Intelligent man.

[Striker]

Emenalo has been an intelligent chap and always soft spoken. They (him, Okorogu and Ehilegbu) used to camp at my apartment when they were teenagers. They were playing for Enyimba then, and the way he describes what happened or did not happen on the field of play made me know his football acumen. When Rangers came for Okorogu and Ehilegbu, I asked Ehilegbu what about his boy Emanalo? and he told me they were working out a deal. I never found out what the deal was because I left Nigeria before they finally transferred to Rangers. I wish him the best.

[maceo4]

Thanks prof for posting this, a great read wish I could watch the full 3 hour interview.

[Enugu II]

Thanks prof for posting this, a great read wish I could watch the full 3 hour interview.

maceo4,

I love it. Hopefully, people can begin to realize the deep effect of European hegemony over our thinking. This guy is among the best. Yet he is neither White nor is he European. He also points out how his experiences in Nigeria was of great help to the success that he had at Chelsea.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Many CEs are convinced that Emenalo does not have the knowledge or experience to coach the SuperEagles and don’t realize that various roles he played at Chelsea require more technical ability than most coaches possess


Cheers.

[ANC]

Many CEs are convinced that Emenalo does not have the knowledge or experience to coach the SuperEagles and don’t realize that various roles he played at Chelsea require more technical ability than most coaches possess


Cheers.

He is more than qualified to be the coach of Super Eagles.

[1naija]

Thanks prof for posting this, a great read wish I could watch the full 3 hour interview.

maceo4,

I love it. Hopefully, people can begin to realize the deep effect of European hegemony over our thinking. This guy is among the best. Yet he is neither White nor is he European. He also points out how his experiences in Nigeria was of great help to the success that he had at Chelsea.

Uncle EII, his experience in the Nigerian league is one of many experiences and qualifications he cited. For me the most important paragraph in the article is this.

At Chelsea it was assumed he had come from nowhere. Even the 10 sophisticated managers during his tenure needed convincing Emenalo was equipped for his demanding job. “Everybody has a misconception of my knowledge, insight and experience. I did it 10 times with 10 managers. Each time I climbed the hill and convinced them of my worth. I have a university degree in international relations and diplomacy. I know how to deal with people and with situations. I had World Cup experience and been part of this industry on five continents. I said: ‘I’ll give them an opportunity to understand me.’ They all did but it’s not easy starting from ground zero every time.”

[jette1]

Emenalo has been an intelligent chap and always soft spoken. They (him, Okorogu and Ehilegbu) used to camp at my apartment when they were teenagers. They were playing for Enyimba then, and the way he describes what happened or did not happen on the field of play made me know his football acumen. When Rangers came for Okorogu and Ehilegbu, I asked Ehilegbu what about his boy Emanalo? and he told me they were working out a deal. I never found out what the deal was because I left Nigeria before they finally transferred to Rangers. I wish him the best.

Ancient people dey here ooh!!!

[Cellular]

Thanks prof for posting this, a great read wish I could watch the full 3 hour interview.

maceo4,

I love it. Hopefully, people can begin to realize the deep effect of European hegemony over our thinking. This guy is among the best. Yet he is neither White nor is he European. He also points out how his experiences in Nigeria was of great help to the success that he had at Chelsea.

Uncle EII, his experience in the Nigerian league is one of many experiences and qualifications he cited. For me the most important paragraph in the article is this.

At Chelsea it was assumed he had come from nowhere. Even the 10 sophisticated managers during his tenure needed convincing Emenalo was equipped for his demanding job. “Everybody has a misconception of my knowledge, insight and experience. I did it 10 times with 10 managers. Each time I climbed the hill and convinced them of my worth. I have a university degree in international relations and diplomacy. I know how to deal with people and with situations. I had World Cup experience and been part of this industry on five continents. I said: ‘I’ll give them an opportunity to understand me.’ They all did but it’s not easy starting from ground zero every time.”

He had/has the proper temprament.

He reminds me of the story of Jackie Robinson... he too had the proper temprament to be used to integrate Major League Baseball.

As for the academy thing he was talking about. Rangers routinely stole players from Vasco... and when the played the old "Anambra/East Central State Challenge cup qualifying games, they were always looking for players to steal.

Anyway, good thing he is still young enough to get another opportunity.

But if it ain't White, it ain't right for us negroes.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Many CEs are convinced that Emenalo does not have the knowledge or experience to coach the SuperEagles and don’t realize that various roles he played at Chelsea require more technical ability than most coaches possess


Cheers.

He is more than qualified to be the coach of Super Eagles.

You and I know that but we had a conversation about Emenalo last year and below is what was said about him. The bottom line for some CEs is that if you’re Nigerian then you’re just not good enough. Talk about slave mentality

Pray, tell how you know what Kanu is doing and not doing. Do you live with him? Are you his personal assistant or something? You are nothing if not overly presumptuous. I am willing to bet that you are one of those who will scoff at the idea of someone like Mike Emenalo coaching the SuperEagles even though he is more qualified than Kluivert and Seedorf put together... but he’s a Nigerian and just doesn’t cut it for you


Cheers.

TTK why would you want a non coach who has not presently indicated interest in coaching to coach the super eagles?

I could reproduce a lot more, including cic old boy’s rant about Emenalo but you get the gist


Cheers.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Here are more exchanges regarding Mike Emenalo

I think we need to start thinking outside the box. Mike Emenalo


Cheers.

Is not a coach.

This Tony sef

You are an incorrigible dullard and know nothing. For your information, Mike Emenalo was the first team assistant coach at Chelsea before being promoted to Technical Director. His management experience at Chelsea and Monaco make him uniquely qualified to be the manager of any high profile team in the world. In fact, he is more qualified than Frank Lampard who is currently the manager of Chelsea after only one year in charge of Derby County. If Emenalo was white like Ray Wilkins, you wouldn’t be putting him down so, shut your stinking mouth


Cheers.

[1naija]

But if it ain't White, it ain't right for us negroes.

Uncle, I think this is actually exagerated, and quite frankly it's a figment of imagination of a few here.

[Cellular]

But if it ain't White, it ain't right for us negroes.

Uncle, I think this is actually exagerated, and quite frankly it's a figment of imagination of a few here.

Uncle, you need to leave your Uber executive job in Yestin and try and live amongst us natives for one full calendar year.

Don't forget to bring along some homeless oyibo man wash him up, dress him up and carry him along as your mascot if you want any pipeline bleeding engineer and hostage security business contract.

[Enugu II]

But if it ain't White, it ain't right for us negroes.

Uncle, I think this is actually exagerated, and quite frankly it's a figment of imagination of a few here.

1naija,

Cellular is absolutely correct. Many on here believe if it isn't white or Europe then it just does to count. The fact is that many have been so brainwashed that they do not even realize it. As I pointed out, the call by NFF to use a management firm to hire a coach is roundly condemned here by simply citing "This is to how it is done in Europe." That to be is the wrong rationale. Have they asked if the European way is the right way? Europe will realize that its current method (i.e. old boys network) is antiquated and breeds racism. However, CE guys cannot even see this until Europe announces it will also use a management firm.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

But if it ain't White, it ain't right for us negroes.

Uncle, I think this is actually exagerated, and quite frankly it's a figment of imagination of a few here.

No exaggeration, senior 1Naija. Go back and look at all the exchanges about Mike Emenalo and others


Cheers.

[kalani JR]

Many CEs are convinced that Emenalo does not have the knowledge or experience to coach the SuperEagles and don’t realize that various roles he played at Chelsea require more technical ability than most coaches possess


Cheers.

He is more than qualified to be the coach of Super Eagles.

You and I know that but we had a conversation about Emenalo last year and below is what was said about him. The bottom line for some CEs is that if you’re Nigerian then you’re just not good enough. Talk about slave mentality

Pray, tell how you know what Kanu is doing and not doing. Do you live with him? Are you his personal assistant or something? You are nothing if not overly presumptuous. I am willing to bet that you are one of those who will scoff at the idea of someone like Mike Emenalo coaching the SuperEagles even though he is more qualified than Kluivert and Seedorf put together... but he’s a Nigerian and just doesn’t cut it for you


Cheers.

TTK why would you want a non coach who has not presently indicated interest in coaching to coach the super eagles?

I could reproduce a lot more, including cic old boy’s rant about Emenalo but you get the gist


Cheers.

I stand by this btw, plus I don't think he's interested in working for Nigeria right now.

[mystic]

Many CEs are convinced that Emenalo does not have the knowledge or experience to coach the SuperEagles and don’t realize that various roles he played at Chelsea require more technical ability than most coaches possess


Cheers.

I have no doubt that he'd be a great coach. However, I think that he has way more to offer than coaching the Super Eagles.

[1naija]

But if it ain't White, it ain't right for us negroes.

Uncle, I think this is actually exagerated, and quite frankly it's a figment of imagination of a few here.

1naija,

Cellular is absolutely correct. Many on here believe if it isn't white or Europe then it just does to count. The fact is that many have been so brainwashed that they do not even realize it. As I pointed out, the call by NFF to use a management firm to hire a coach is roundly condemned here by simply citing "This is to how it is done in Europe." That to be is the wrong rationale. Have they asked if the European way is the right way? Europe will realize that its current method (i.e. old boys network) is antiquated and breeds racism. However, CE guys cannot even see this until Europe announces it will also use a management firm.

EII, the only time such has come up here is when the issue of the SE coach comes up. And quite frankly, I think it's a weak argument to suggest that those who support Rohr as the coach think only whites can coach the team. If Oliseh did not abandon the team, we probably won't have Rohr as coach today. Such argument would be valid if we have never had Nigerian coaches coach the team, but that's not the case. I think a more valid arguement, and one that needs to be discussed more often, is that most African countries, especially the so-called power houses, will rather hire white coaches than consider qualified candidates from other African countries. But to me this is a separate arguement.

I personally support Rohr, but I would not have any problem whatsoever if a Nigerian is hired in his place tomorrow, AS LONG AS the Nigerian is a better coach than Rohr. What I would not support, and I don't think any of the BCLM (Black Coaches Livelihood Matter) briggade wants either, is to hire a Nigerian just because he is Nigerian.

[deanotito]

That was a depressing read

[Bell]

But if it ain't White, it ain't right for us negroes.

Uncle, I think this is actually exagerated, and quite frankly it's a figment of imagination of a few here.

1naija,

Cellular is absolutely correct. Many on here believe if it isn't white or Europe then it just does to count. The fact is that many have been so brainwashed that they do not even realize it. As I pointed out, the call by NFF to use a management firm to hire a coach is roundly condemned here by simply citing "This is to how it is done in Europe." That to be is the wrong rationale. Have they asked if the European way is the right way? Europe will realize that its current method (i.e. old boys network) is antiquated and breeds racism. However, CE guys cannot even see this until Europe announces it will also use a management firm.

eii...


...one of the reasons Africans haven't prospered, in sports or outside, is because a culture of European dependency slowly took hold of the African psyche during the colonial era when all solutions in that period essentially came from Europe. The custom of addressing a problem locally was stunted as a result. Unfortunately, many have been born into that mindset, have not been able to break free from it and always look to the outside world for guidance and direction. And the culprits are the educated class because the issues being discussed here are not things that generally bother those without education.

Why is there a visceral rejection of a Nigerian coach by some in favor a European with less accomplishment? Why does the concept of continuity come up with a failed foreign coach, a virtue that is forgotten when a Nigerian is in charge? Why does everyone talk about academies as if they are the only way to develop players?

Someone mentioned that the failure of Oliseh was what gave opportunity for Rohr. Maybe so, but do we know if the environment was made toxic for Oliseh by players and management because he was, after all, a local?
Bell

[fabio]

1naija,

Cellular is absolutely correct. Many on here believe if it isn't white or Europe then it just does to count. The fact is that many have been so brainwashed that they do not even realize it. As I pointed out, the call by NFF to use a management firm to hire a coach is roundly condemned here by simply citing "This is to how it is done in Europe." That to be is the wrong rationale. Have they asked if the European way is the right way? Europe will realize that its current method (i.e. old boys network) is antiquated and breeds racism. However, CE guys cannot even see this until Europe announces it will also use a management firm.

The NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, had announced on Thursday on its official Instagram page on a concluded arrangement to employ a head coach of the highest quality possible for the Super Falcons, saying that consultants are already on it and a sum of money set aside for the coach’s remuneration.

Okobi-Okeoghene, who plays for Eskilstuna United of Sweden, added, “Omagbemi is one coach that I played under and I noticed her impact. A coach is supposed to be a friend to the team and Coach Omagbemi is one perfect person at that. She not only played for the national team before, but also because she is a woman, who understands how players feel. I think she is one perfect person for the job.

“The reason why I will go for the local coaches is that they are the ones that understand the players more. They know what the girls are like and they saw us grow. Unlike the foreign coaches who just come and play us based on what they saw on the TV.

https://guardian.ng/sport/omagbemi-perf ... okeoghene/