Super Eagles Interim Coach: NFF President Says “No” To Eguavoen

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Ibrahim Gusau, has debunked reports that Austin Eguavoen has been appointed as the Super Eagles’ Interim Coach.

Recall that immediately after Jose Peseiro announced via X that his contract with the Super Eagles had expired on March 1, 2024, reports went viral that Eguavoen had returned as the team’s interim coach.

Eguavoen, a former Nigerian national team player and head coach, last served as the team’s interim manager in 2022. Recall that when the NFF sacked Gernot Rohr in 2021, the retired Nigerian international was made the interim head coach.

He led the Super Eagles to the 2021 AFCON, which took place in Cameroon between January and February 2022. The team played a very pleasant style of football in the group stage but lost 1-0 to Tunisia in the round of 16.

Due to the team’s beautiful style of football, the NFF retained him in that capacity for the last phase of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Unfortunately for him and his team, Ghana stopped them from qualifying for the tournament, thanks to the away goal rule.

Hence, most Nigerian football enthusiasts were uncomfortable when the news emerged that Eguavoen had returned as the Super Eagles Interim head coach ahead of the team’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

But when Punch asked the NFF president if Eguavoen had returned as the team’s interim coach, the football administrator said: “No.”

He continued, “If anything like that had happened, you will see it on our official communication channel.”

Reports claimed that Jose Peseiro didn’t extend his contract with the NFF because he failed to accept an improved $80,000 per month offer.

The Portuguese tactician who led the Super Eagles to a second-place finish in the just concluded 2023 AFCON reportedly asked for a $120,000 monthly salary, which the NFF is unwilling to comply with.

When writing, the Super Eagles might be inactive during the international break that will start on March 18. The NFF is reportedly trying to get the team a coach before their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and the Benin Republic in June 2024.