Super Eagles 7 Months Dice With 4 Coaches: From Peseiro Through Finidi, Bruno To Eguavoen
Super Eagles 7 Months Dice With 4 Coaches: From Peseiro Through Finidi, Bruno To Eguavoen
IMAGE NEWS SPORTS ANALYSIS
The report of Augustine Eguavoen quitting as the Super Eagles interim Coach brought shrilled memories of the twists and turns within the top hierarchies of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the Ministry of Sports Development that have culminated in the unprecedented announcement of four coaches for the nation’s senior football team, Super Eagles within seven months. The coaches are Jose Peseiro, Finidi George, Bruno Labbadia and Augustine Eguavoen.
Since Portugal-born Jose Peseiro announced his decision to step down as coach of Nigeria on March 1, 2024, shortly after leading the Super Eagles to the final of the last edition of Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, all has not been well with the country’s senior football team.
The 63-year-old Portuguese coach met and surpassed the target of guiding the Super Eagles to the semifinal of the tournament set for him by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), but opted to move on when the ovation was loud.
After Peseiro’s departure, ensued a period of two months limbo when the Super Eagles were without a substantive coach as the NFF wobbled and fumbled. On April 29, the NFF unceremoniously unveiled Peseiro’s assistant, Finidi George as the Super Eagles Coach.
In his first match against Ghana, Finidi’s Super Eagles squad secured a historic victory, defeating the Black Stars 2-1 in a friendly game and breaking an 18-year winless streak against the formidable Black Stars.
However, in the subsequent game against Mali, the team faced a setback, losing 0-2. Finidi led the Eagles to a 1-1 draw against South Africa at home in Uyo and a 2-1 loss to Benin Republic in Abidjan, thus putting Nigeria’s qualification to the next World Cup in serious jeopardy. He resigned on June 15 after the poor run of games in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which left Nigeria trailing Rwanda, South Africa and Benin Republic.
After Finidi’s resignation came another era of vacuum and uncertainty as the NFF continued groping and wobbling. For about two and half months, the NFF went in an orchestrated search for a new foreign coach for the senior national team. After failed bids to secure the services of its reported prime target, two-time Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, winner, Herve Renard and the second favourite, former Swedish Coach, Janne Andersson, the NFF eventually claimed to have reached an agreement with a German tactician, Bruno Labbadia as the senior men’s 37th national team coach. On August 27, the NFF announced the appointment of Labbadia, as the new Super Eagles Chief Coach, with immediate effect.
However, in an embarrassing manner, the German tactician snubbed the NFF by opting against becoming the new coach of the Super Eagles. According to reports that emerged the following day, Labbadia and the NFF were not able to agree on final details relating to salary, tax matters and other entitlements.
With the snubbing of Nigeria by the German few days to the crucial Nations Cup qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda, the NFF had to resort to drafting the Technical Director of Super Eagles, Austin Eguavoen as interim coach. Eguavoen led the Super Eagles to an emphatic 3-0 win against Benin and a goalless draw against Rwanda in their first two 2025 AFCON qualifying games. Despite Nigeria being at the top of the table with four points from two games with Benin Republic and Rwanda, the federation and the Ministry have reportedly not relented in their search for a substantive coach.
Eguavoen Reportedly Quits As Super Eagles Coach; Denies Reports Hours Later
This and the intriguing in-house politics within the NFF surrounding the appointment of a substantive coach, reportedly forced Eguavoen to quit as the Super Eagles coach shortly after the barren draw away to Rwanda on Tuesday. But the viral report was later refuted by Coach Eguavoen who declared that he was still charge as the interim coach of the Super Eagles as reported by IMAGE NEWS on Wednesday.
Peterside Idah Wants More Time For Eguavoen As Super Eagles Coach
Reaffirming Eguavoen’s availability on the job during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, a former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peterside Idah said that Eguavoen dismissed the rumours of his resignation in a phone call with him.
“Fortunately I spoke to Eguavoen last night and I asked him, did you quit? And he said no, I did not quit. I’m like why are the rumours? Okay you will not understand so much politics,” Peterside said.
“You see, where we are now, there are agents trying to sell coaches, trying to bring in coaches here and there and there are people in the NFF too that are looking forward to bringing their own type of coach they want.
“So, what Eguavoen has done, he has come in and stabled the waters. Now the agents wanted us to lose because if we had lost the game against Benin then those agents would have brought in their own in their own coaches, it is the politics of football.”
Mr Idah said ‘Eguavoen should be allowed to continue what he started’
“There have been debate everywhere, should Eguavoen be kept? Will Eguavoen leave or do we bring a foreign coach? I think the national team is beginning to stabilise in the last two games we played, that is my take.
“I think we should allow Eguavoen to finish what he has started. Remember he has been with this team for years. We had an issue when we did qualify for the World Cup in the game with Ghana.
“He was in charge and I have always told people we did not lose that game, but people became angry because we did not qualify,” he said.
The former Eagles goalie said that having brought stability to the team in the last two games, Eguavoen continuing with the team will bring more stability, adding that the players know him well.
Should NFF Suspend The Search For A Substantive Coach Or Not?
In view of the relative success achieved by Eguavoen in the last two games where he garnered four points out iof a maximum six, should the NFF and the Ministry of Sports Development at least in the interim suspend the search for a substantive coach to lead Super Eagles in subsequent African Nations Cup and FIFA World Cup qualifier matches resuming in October? Or alternatively, should they leave Eguavoen to prosecute the matches? Already, Nigeria’s fate in the World Cup qualifiers hangs on the cliff following successive poor results under Coach Finidi.
