On Saturday, March 2, 2024, Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro stepped down from his role as Super Eagles coach. Peseiro led the three-time African champions to an impressive 2nd place finish at the just concluded African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Peseiro’s departure has created room for a new tactician to fill his boots and take charge of the senior national team. Below are some of the names coming out of the glass house in Abuja as the Ibrahim Musa Gusau NFF-led board scouts for a new Super Eagle coach.
Herve Renard.
French tactician Herve Renard needs no introduction to African football and, of course, world football. Renard led the Saudi Arabia national men’s team to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and his heroic half-time pep talk helped propel the team to what is arguably their most memorable World Cup win, a win against eventual world champion Lionel Messi’s Argentina. But that is not the most impressive quality on Renard’s CV; he is the only coach who has won the African Cup of Nations with two different national teams. Renard understands football on this continent; in 2012, he led the chipolopolo of Xambia to win their first-ever Afcon trophy; in 2013, he led the Burkina Faso national team to the Afcon finals; and in 2015, he led the elephants of the Ivory Coast to their second Afcon trophy. Renard currently leads the French female national team and might just be the magic wand that the Super Eagles need to return to their golden era. There are unconfirmed rumours that the NFF has him on their radar and that contacts have been established, but it remains to be seen whether they can meet his high wage valuation and if they can get him to leave his current role with the French Football Federation.
Austin Eguavon.
Cesero, as he is fondly called, is not a newcomer to the Super Eagles job; he first led the team in 2006, when they finished 3rd at the African Cup of Nations. Eguavoen has had numerous stints with both the senior national team and the U23 Olympic team. Though football fans have expressed concern over his rumoured return, it appears there are agents within the glass house who want the Edo-born gaffer back on an interim basis until the NFF finds a suitable replacement for Peseiro.
Emmanuel Amuneke.
Atlanta 96 gold medalist and ex-Barcelona winger Emmanuel Amuneke is rumoured to be strongly linked to the Super Eagles job. The former Golden Eagles and Tanzania national team coach has repeatedly been linked to this role over the years, but it appears the odds will likely favour him this time owing to reports that the NFF strongly favours the option of a local coach this time.
Finidi George.
The former Ajax winger and current coach of Nigerian champions Enyimba of Aba Finidi George is also rumoured to be a possible nominee for the role; Finidi was Peseiro’s assistant, so he is not a newcomer to the role, but it is unclear if the NFF wants him permanently or on an interim basis.
The next World Cup qualifiers are one of the reasons the NFF needs to step up their search for a new coach. It is uncertain which way the NFF will go this time, even as they continue to dispute claims that Eguavoen has been confirmed as coach on an interim basis. The NFF has faced criticism in the past for preferring a foreign coach over local gaffers.
The supposed confirmation of Eguavoen’s temporary appointment, according to an NFF source, is a joke that has gone too far; the source did, however, clarify that talks are ongoing on several fronts and that nothing has been verified as of yet.
By Nnaemeka ODENIGBO
