The Nigeria Football Federation is in a dilemma over the fate of Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro. Engaged last year on a one-year contract to navigate the team through the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, the coach has seen his contract through as it ends this June.

He was promised an extension if he could take Nigeria to Ivory Coast next January and win the AFCON trophy which the Super Eagles last won in 2013 in South Africa under late Coach Stephen Keshi.

Peseiro has qualified the team for the tournament but for all his effort, Nigerians are still not convinced of his capacity to lead the national team back to its glory days. Jose Peseiro’s reign, as short as it has been, so far, has seen the Super Eagles come under a very bad patch, littered with poor results and indifferent displays. The team struggles in every match, no matter the opposition. Many Nigerians are of the opinion that with the coach in charge, the Eagles cannot get past the quarter-finals of the 24-team AFCON tournament.

Dotun OMISAKIN writing for an online platform, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) spoke the minds of many Nigerians by saying, “Peseiro has performed below par.”

He defended his position. “Peseiro played ten matches; won 4 and lost 6. The coach lost all five friendly matches played by the Super Eagles.”

No doubt, this is the worst record by Nigeria’s Super Eagles in a single season. The biggest humiliation was the Super Eagles’ 0-1 home loss to Guinea Bissau in Abuja.

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After that match, calls for Peseiro’s sack were loud. Most of the people spoken to, especially sportswriters who covered that match, were of the opinion that Peseiro should go. Some were so bitter that they did not expect the gaffer to spend another day on the job. Veteran journalist, Kunle Solaja told this writer in Abuja, “The team is not consistent as they don’t have a winning habit. The defeat by Guinea Bissau is the fourth in a row. The last time that happened was 42 years ago,”

However, with the quality squad of individual stars at his disposal, the Portuguese has managed to qualify for the AFCON 2023, with a match to spare. Intriguingly, the qualification has come at the tail end of his contract. Will the Nigeria Football Federation renew his contract or let him go?

Omisakin submitted thus, “The team still depend on the individual brilliance of their top stars like Victor Osimhen to win games.

“Statistically, Peseiro has lost more games than he has won – 6 losses, 4 wins – and the Eagles are still not playing the beautiful football Nigerians crave for, the same reason his predecessor Rohr was booted out.”.

Renowned journalist and publisher of Score Nigeria, an online platform, Samm Audu wrote “even though he has qualified Nigeria for the 2023 AFCON to be hosted by Cote d’Ivoire in January, he has not done enough to deserve a new deal. The team still depend on the individual brilliance of their top stars like Victor Osimhen to win games.”

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The NFF must have the courage, the steel backbone, to let Peseiro go and bring new energy and ideas for the Eagles to be super again.

“The Super Eagles do not play again till September 4 in Uyo in a final 2023 AFCON Group A match against bottom team Sao Tome and Principe.”

He continued, “This will be a great window of opportunity for a new man to take charge as he will then have good enough time to set up a new team in time for the start of the qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup in November.

“Besides the match against Sao Tome, the NFF must ensure they also arrange a second game for the Eagles within that window so that the new coach can fully settle in on the job before the World Cup qualifiers and then the AFCON in the New Year.”

The major problem confronting the NFF is the 10 months arrears Peseiro is being owed. The Super Eagles coach earns US $70,000 monthly. So, to ask him to go will be a case of NFF shooting itself in the foot. A source at the Glass House told Sports Vanguard that before Peseiro’s appointment, the former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare had assured the NFF that the federal government would be responsible for payment of the salary of the incoming coach. This has not been the case since the arrival of Peseiro. “The whole burden has been on the NFF and we have no money to pay such a huge amount,” our usually reliable source said.

It is left to be seen whether the Nigeria Football Federation will, because of the huge debt, renew the coach’s contract or pay him off and let him go.

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Privately, the NFF leadership is not convinced he is the man to lead Nigeria to glory despite his repeated boast that he will win the next AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire.

A breakdown of the matches played by the Super Eagles under Peseiro:

May 29, 2022 Mexico 2 vs Nigeria 1

June 3, 2022 Ecuador 1 vs Nigeria 0

June 9, 2022 Nigeria 2 vs Sierra Leone 1

June 13, 2022 Sao Tome and Principe 0 vs Nigeria 10

Sept 27, 2022 Algeria 2 vs Nigeria 1

Nov 10, 2022 Costa Rica 2 vs Nigeria 0

Nov 1u, 2022 Portugal 4 vs Nigeria 0

Mar 24, 2023 Nigeria 0 vs Guinea-Bissau 1

Mar 27, 2023 Guinea-Bissau 0 vs Nigeria 1

June18 20023 Sierra Leone 2 vs Nigeria 3

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