NFF Committee Reportedly Seals Appointment of New Nigeria Coach, Selects Local Super Eagles Manager

NFF Committee Reportedly Seals Appointment of New Nigeria Coach, Selects Local Super Eagles Manager

Ero Samson
updated at April 24, 2024 at 5:29 PM
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  • The new coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria could be announced before the end of April
  • The Nigeria national team have been without a permanent coach since the end of February
  • Reports of the Nigeria Football Federation settling for an indigenous manager have surfaced

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The Nigerian national team has been without a permanent coach since the departure of Jose Peseiro, who left his role at the end of February.

The Portuguese coach, who led the Super Eagles to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast, left his role at the expiration of his contract with the Nigerian team.

Following the departure of the 63-year-old, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have been searching for a strong candidate ahead of the crunch 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture against South Africa.

Nigeria, Super Eagles, NFF, CAF, AFCON, Coach, Jose Peseiro, indigenous, manager, national, team
The Nigeria Football Federation are looking to appoint a new coach for the Super Eagles before the end of April and have reportedly identified a local coach to take over. Image: Issouf Sanogo.
Source: Getty Images

Many elite coaches have been linked with the role with the Nigerian national team.

With names said to have been touted by the federation's technical committee, a report has emerged detailing the final candidates the NFF are reportedly considering for the Super Eagles job.

Have NFF's final candidates for coaching role leaked?

According to a report from OwnGoalNigeria, the technical committee has decided to appoint an indigenous coach for the Super Eagles.

The media outlet stated that the federation is still undecided between two candidates, Emmanuel Amunike or Finidi George, to serve as the permanent coach.

The report concludes by stating that the NFF has chosen an indigenous manager for several reasons, most notable being the current financial constraints faced by the federation.

Both Amunike and Finidi have been the frontrunners among the local coaches who applied to take over the Super Eagles role in recent months.

However, which of the two will be named as head coach remains to be seen. Nonetheless, reports suggest that they are expected to work together regardless of the specific role assigned to each of them.

Odemwingie warns against indigenous coach

Sports Brief also reported on former Super Eagles attacker, Peter Odemwingie, urging the NFF to reconsider appointing an indigenous coach for the national team.

The 42-year-old claimed that many local coaches are solely focused on using the role for their personal interests and not building from Nigeria's success at the 2023 AFCON.

Authors
Ero Samson photo
Ero Samson
Samson Ero is a sports journalist with a track record of over five years in the Nigerian media industry. He graduated from Nigerian Institute of Journalism (2021-2023).
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Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)