Nigeria’s Football Federation (NFF) President, Ibrahim Gusau, has disclosed that the fate of Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro is in the hands of the country’s soccer fans. According to reports, the comments come as Peseiro’s contract is set to expire on June 30.
Many football fans have criticised the Portuguese coach for his apparent lack of technical knowledge and for his recent squad selections. This has led to concerns over whether he is the right person for the job. However, Gusau believes that finding the right person for the role is a challenging task.
The NFF president also revealed that his organisation had attempted to hire both foreign and local coaches in the past, but had been unsuccessful in finding the right candidate. He added, We’ve tried the foreign coaches and also the local coaches, maybe we didn’t get it right in the area of getting the right person. We are going to push it to the public, whether we should continue with Peseiro or he should go.
Peseiro led the Super Eagles to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast beginning in January, but the team is said to have won only four of their last nine matches, including a 4-4 draw against Sierra Leone, which sparked widespread criticism.
One of the issues facing Peseiro has been the selection of players for the Super Eagles team, with many fans questioning his choices and accusing him of bias in his selection of Nigerian players playing in Europe’s top leagues. One of the most controversial selections was the team’s captain, Ahmed Musa.
Peseiro is a highly experienced coach, having managed Portugal’s Porto and Sporting in the past. Initially appointed last year, he faced a difficult task in taking charge of Nigeria’s football team, after the team failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The NFF president has stated that the organisation plans to let the public have a say on Peseiro’s future with the Super Eagles, indicating that it is unlikely that the coach will be given a new contract. However, Gusau believes that it is important to find the right candidate for the role before any decisions are made.
