Eguavoen to pick the final AFCON team from Rohr’s list.
The Super Eagles head coach remained mum on the objectives of the Super Eagles to the tournament.
The countdown to the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon is on, and as the tournament approaches its kick-off date, the battle for places intensifies.
The national sides continue their battle with European club sides for player release for the January tournament. While the tug of war continues, the make-up or shape of the Super Eagles is still unknown. No one seems to understand what is going on.
All that has emanated from the glasshouse is that CAF has received Nigeria's 40-man list. The way this list is shrouded in secrecy, it seems Nigerians are in for a surprise when the final list comes out.
Perhaps, the FA is trying to protect itself from criticism. The 40-man list should be published, subject to criticism and advice.
While the 40-man list is still unknown, coach Augustine Eguavoen has hinted that the squad will come from the list sent to CAF. So, Nigerians, brace up as there may still be a few surprises in the offing regarding the list.
Eguavoen to pick AFCON squad from Rohr’s list
Augustine Eguavoen has taken over from Gernot Rohr as Super Eagles manager, and being on the job on an interim basis is not an excuse for failure at AFCON. Nigerians expect the team to perform well at the tournament.
With less than four weeks to Nigeria’s first game at AFCON, no one knows the make-up of the 40-man list sent to CAF. It must be the secret of the Sphinx as the Nigeria Football Federation has refused to give anything away. They have only given snippets of who is on the list.
Interim Super Eagles manager Augustine Eguavoen hardly surprised anyone when he revealed that his selection would come from Rohr’s 40-man list to CAF. Eguavoen has continued to keep his options close to his chest.
Eagles lack an objective to AFCON
Coach Augustine Eguavoen has hinted that only 28 players will make it to AFCON. While Nigerians are still guessing the names on the list and the likely players to feature at the Nations Cup, Eguavoen comes off as someone without an idea of the entire picture.
When pressed in a recent interview on the objective of the Super Eagles to AFCON, Eguavoen refused to comment. The silence of the head coach gives room to the insinuation that he has no objective.
Eguavoen claimed that his refusal to answer the question of the Super Eagles objective to the tournament is like giving away your intentions for the war.
There is currently no concrete metric or target to evaluate the team going into the tournament. The Nigeria Football Federation should understand that Nigerians want the Super Eagles to win AFCON.
Nigeria plays its first game of AFCON against Egypt on January 11 before locking horns with Sudan and Guinea Bissau.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
