Rivers Angels coach Whyte Ogbonda has revealed how he failed to progress during the interview stage for the role of the national U-17 team head coach because he hadn’t won any title as a coach, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Ogbonda ended his trophyless run as a coach on Saturday, leading Rivers Angels to their ninth President Federation Cup women’s title with a 1-0 win over Naija Ratesls at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.
Falconets striker Blessing Okpe scored the winning goal from the penalty spot late in the first half.
Reacting to the win after the game, Ogbondo relived his dreams of getting a national team job some years back which was unsuccessful due to his lack of trophies.
“It’s good for me as a head coach to get this trophy because I remember some years back when I went for U-17 interview. That was one of the things that brought me back, they asked me what I have won as a coach,” Ogbonda said during the post-match interview.
“Now I have won a national title as a head coach and I am adding that to my CV so nobody will use it as one of the criteria to drop me in any team.”
As the head coach of Ibom Angels in 2017 and 2018, Ongbondo failed to win the title, losing to Rivers Angels on both occasions. He was the assistant coach at Rivers Angels when they won the title in 2014.
Winning the 2024 President Federation Cup was also another relief for the coach after losing the Nigeria Women Football League title to Edo Queens.
“This is my third Federation Cup final and I lost to Rivers Angels on both occasions. I will say what worked against me then was the inexperience in the team. Now in a team like Rivers Angels where I have a combination of experienced and young players. That’s why I said there was a bit of pressure on me to win because if I couldn’t get this Federation Cup, it means I haven’t done a good job.”