Emmanuel Amunike wants to train in Spain but it is not being easy for him. The Nigerian has his family here and is looking for a bench but the experience is not being pleasant. In the BBC he explains how his attempt to find a job as a coach has been and asks for an equal opportunity that does not exist for him.
“It is frustrating and disappointing that after having played here and trained as a coach in Spain, Africans are not considered to be able to train in the country”, he emphatically assures BBC Sport Africa.
After becoming world champion in Chile with the Nigerian under-17 team, Amunike took advantage of his good time to try to find a job in Spain but it was not possible according to him. “I came back to Spain after winning the U-17 World Cup and applied for several jobs in different leagues. They ignored my requests and never asked me for an interview, “he says.
Some without became more interested but the hiring never came. “A Second team was very interested in me through an agent but although I played in Spain, I trained here and won the World Cup, it was not enough for them to trust me,” he adds the ex of the Barcelona, that affirms that it continues “available” and in active search of work in Spain “because it is where I live with my family”.
With the maximum license obtained through the RFEF, Amunike does not give up and faces obstacles with positivity. He asks for a first chance to launch his career. “I can only keep knocking on different doors in a polite way and thinking positive, that one day they will be opened to me. I don't want a symbolic role, I want equal opportunities with the rest of the coaches. The next job could arise in Spain or elsewhere. I can only continue to be optimistic and that the goal of training in Spain is met, “he explains.
The Nigerian asks for an opportunity in Spain to open the doors of European football. “You need a first job to gain experience and start from somewhere. I have managed at youth and international level in Africa and also in clubs but I don't want to limit myself to thinking about Africa all the time. If you are good at playing in Europe you also have to believe that you are good enough to train in Europe, “he says.
As a player, Amunike came to Spain from Sporting to Barcelona in 1997. LThen he played for Albacete from 2000 to 2003 and ended his career in 2004 at Jordan's Al-Wehdat. As a coach, he led the Nigerian U-17 team from 2014 to 2017, becoming world champion in 2015 with two European football stars in his squad such as Victor Oshimen and Samu Chukwueze.. From there he jumped to Khartoum, Sudan's team and to the Tanzanian team, in which he rescinded by mutual agreement with the federation, according to the BBC. His last experience came in Egypt, where he left El Makasa after just three games. Now, the world champion wants to relaunch his career in Spain.