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FORMER Super Eagles head coach and skipper Sunday Oliseh has hit out at Dutch second division team Fortuna Sittard for suspending him saying that the club took action against him for refusing to act unlawfully.
Yesterday, Fortuna Sittard suspended Oliseh over what it claimed were his unacceptable actions, despite the fact that the club is sitting third in the league. Oliseh, who was appointed by the Eerste Divisie side as their manager on December 27, 2016 came under pressure from the club's hierarchy after the team slid down the table after suffering their fourth straight loss.
Oliseh, a former Ajax and Juventus midfielder, who became a cult hero at Fortuna Sittard Stadion after helping the club escape relegation last season, was reportedly sacked by the club last month, but the Dutch side denied the reports. Fortunezen, who are desperate to gain an automatic promotion to the Dutch top-flight at the end of the season, also denied they were at loggerheads with the former Nigeria coach.
However, the club announced on its official website yesterday that it had asked Oliseh to step aside. Sittard also announced that they had appointed its youth team’s head coach Claudio Braga as the senior team’s caretaker manager until the club has found a new trainer.
A club spokesman said: “Several attempts by the club to encourage a change in the coach’s behaviour have unfortunately not worked, resulting in an unworkable situation. The board of Fortuna Sittard emphasises that the decision to suspend Sunday Oliseh is not motivated by the current sporting performance.
“The coach’s unacceptable actions have made cooperation between many people within the organisation impossible, from players to employees. Fortuna Sittard regrets the decision but states that the club interest goes above all else.”
However, Oliseh fired back on his Twitter account, claiming that the club decided to suspend him because he refused to play ball. He did not specify exactly what it is he was asked to do but claimed it was to do with something unlawful.
Oliseh wrote: “I confirm, due to my refusal to participate in illegal activities at Fortuna Sittard and violate the law, I have been suspended from my duties as coach by the foreign owners of Fortuna. This is unfortunate for the lovely fans, my players and our hard-fought phenomenal positioning for promotion.”
When Oliseh was the Super Eagles head coach, he also left after falling out with the Nigerian Football Federation officials and some of his senior players. Chief among them was skipper and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who subsequently retired from international football.