Finnish club, Jalkapalloseura Hercules FC Chairman, Juho Edge, has expressed the club’s satisfaction over the acquisition of former Nigerian legend, Daniel Amokachi, as head coach.
Edge said the employment of Amokachi will open a new chapter in the club’s history.
Amokachi signed a year’s deal with the Oulu-based club and will be assisted by the head coach from last season, Pekka Haaranen.
He has now joined Nigerian coaches like Chuks Akuneto (FC United of Manchester, England), Benedict Akwuegbu (AK Gratkon, Austria), Afusi Joseph Chukwuemeka (Sheikh Jamal Dhanmond of Bangladesh) who are in charge of teams abroad.
“It is certainly an adventure and a big change for me,” says Amokachi. “I take this as a great challenge. The team is young and passionate. I’m looking forward to working with them.”
Amokachi represented Nigeria at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and was part of the country’s team that won Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996. He also scored the first ever goal in the history of the Champions League, for Club Brugge against CSKA Moskow in 1992. After his playing career, Amokachi, who won the English FA Cup with Everton in 1995, got his coaching badges in the Netherlands and has since coached in Nigeria. He had stints at Nigerian Premier League sides Nasarawa United and FC Ifeanyi Ubah, as well as with the Eagles.
Amokachi is not the first Nigerian coach JS Hercules have had. Another ex-Eagles Ladi Babalola coached Hercules and earned a promotion for the club in the 2012/13 season.
