Augustine Eguavoen is still in line to be named the head coach of the Super Eagles permanently. Jose Peseiro was to take over as coach after the AFCON.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria crashed out in the second round of the Africa Cup of Nations at the hands of Tunisia. The expectations were that, with the fall out of the tournament in Cameroon, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) would have gotten its act together and steered the ship of Nigerian football forward.
The federation has not lived up to the promises it made to Nigerians before the commencement of the Nations Cup. They promised a new coach to take over after the tournament.
With a two-legged match coming up in March, many expect the Super Eagles to be in high preparation mode. It would be a bitter pill for Nigerians to swallow if the Super Eagles fail to make it to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.
The Super Eagles remain without a coach, with barely a month to their all-important qualifier.
The situation begs the vital question, when will the Nigeria Football Federation put their house in order. It can’t be too difficult to get a coach to manage the Super Eagles.
Is it Eguavoen or Peseiro?
A few days ago, local media was awash with the news of Augustine Eguavoen continuing as head coach of the Super Eagles, with Emmanuel Amuneke to assist him. Days after the news broke, the NFF is yet to confirm its veracity.
The rumours have refused to go away, but Eguavoen might still be the next manager of the Super Eagles. Recent reports suggest Eguavoen is still in line to be named head coach permanently. NFF president Amaju Pinnick disclosed that he told Portuguese-born coach Jose Peseiro he could take another job.
The announcement of Peseiro as the coach came after the sack of the former gaffer Gernot Rohr. 61-year-old former Venezuela coach Peseiro was to resume duties after the AFCON. The NFF had the Portuguese as head coach for the Super Eagles tie against the Black Stars of Ghana in a doubleheader 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Eguavoen strong favourite for the job
The Super Eagles took the Africa Cup of Nations by storm after he led the team to nail all nine points in the group stage of AFCON. The Super Eagles made their fans believe, but they were clawed out of the skies by the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.
Despite the Super Eagles crashing out of the AFCON early, Eguavoen is in the running to get the job of head coach permanently. The former Super Eagles defender was on the job on an interim basis, to be relieved of his position by Peseiro after the tournament.
Amaju Pinnick confirmed that the federation has not officially signed a contract with Peseiro. He also suggested that Augustine Eguavoen would take charge of the Super Eagles when they take on the Black Stars of Ghana in the final phase of the qualifiers.
Speaking on Channels Television, Pinnick said he was still in contact with Peseiro, and he may have to wait till after the World Cup qualifiers. Pinnick said while waiting, Peseiro was free to take any job offer. The NFF chairman said the federation would wish him well.
Pinnick said there was no rush by the NFF to decide.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
