The Africa Cup of Nations has been replete with its fair share of upsets. Defending champions have packed their bags and left the AFCON after just one goal and a draw in the competition. Tunisia faces a challenging tie against the Super Eagles, thanks to two losses to Mali and Gambia.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon have perhaps been the only teams to hold their own amid the upsets. While Nigeria won all its matches to secure maximum points, Nigeria dropped points in their final group game after securing qualification to the second round.
Following the achievements of Augustine Eguavoen and the Super Eagles, many have started to argue that the interim coach gets the job permanently. Others feel that the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) should not be hasty in deciding the Super Eagles gaffer.
NFF consider Eguavoen for Eagles job
Augustine Eguavoen and the Super Eagles have confounded many with their results and level of performance.
The former Super Eagles defender was appointed as an interim coach, with Jose Peseiro expected to take over after the Nations Cup. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is considering a change of heart following their impressive performance in Cameroon. Talk of handing Eguavoen the job permanently has continued to gain ground.
Eguavoen took over from Gernot Rohr after the German got the sack following poor performances by the Super Eagles in the World Cup qualifiers. Eguavoen took over as interim coach and would relinquish the position to Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro after the AFCON.
Eguavoen has, however, given the federation something to chew on as they ponder whether to give Eguavoen the job permanently.
Unsigned contract and the Eguavoen option
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have shown that they do not repose confidence in Nigerian coaches. The federation is known for taking knee-jerk decisions that have sometimes haunted them. In the past, Nigerian coaches have been jettisoned for foreign coaches, who have not delivered better results than the local ones.
Following the sack of Gernot Rohr, the NFF showed their lack of confidence in Nigerian gaffers by giving Eguavoen the position on an interim basis. The performance of the Super Eagles in Cameroon is forcing the NFF to return to the rejected stone.
According to the NFF, Peseiro is to take over from Eguavoen after the Nations Cup because he is yet to sign a contract. A member of the NFF executive council who preferred anonymity said the Portuguese would have been in Cameroon if he had signed a contract.
According to the source, the NFF is trying to manage public trust, so they are being careful in the decisions they make.
Meanwhile, Augustine Eguavoen is ready to take on the job permanently if offered the job. The Super Eagles will play against Tunisia in the second round on Sunday.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
