Following the failure of the Nigeria football federation to renew the contract of Jose Peseiro, who then decided to move on, after the expiration of his two year deal, the NFF immediately advertised the vacant position of chief coach of the senior national team and since then, over fifty individuals, from home and abroad, have signified their intention to lead the three times African champions.
Till this day, Thursday March 14, 2024, interested applicants are still sending in their Curriculum Vitae for the plum job and it is not looking like a coach will be appointed before Friday March 22, when the AFCON 2023 runners-up will engage the Black Stars of Ghana in a friendly encounter planned for the beautiful city of Marrakech in Morocco.
Chieftains of the NFF Technical committee and technical department are taking their time to seriously scrutinize the CVs of all interested coaches who have since applied for the Super Eagles job and that of the Under-17 National team, just to be sure they are getting the very best for Nigeria football.
Information reaching NSM Media, has it that a few individuals have started using their contacts and connections in high places, with the hope that the man-know-man factor could also go a long way in influencing the decision of the selectors as Nigerians wait patiently for the anointed coach.
Putting all these into consideration, NSM Media took time to dig deep and have now compiled the top three favorites for the Super Eagles job.
1. Antonio Conceicao
Portuguese born, former Cameroon National team coach who was sacked by Fecafoot in 2022, is the top name on the list of those who still feel that Nigeria must employ a foreign coach to replace Jose Peseiro. The 63 year old, lost the chance to coach Nigeria two years ago as the NFF chose another Portuguese in Jose Peseiro for the plum job.
Information reaching this reporter has it that, if Conceicao agrees to the terms of the contract being proposed, he could just be the chosen one. The NFF is not ready to stress themselves by paying any foreign coach huge salary when it has become more obvious that local coaches can do a better job if given the needed support. For this reason, they are offering forty to fifty thousand dollars to all interested foreign coaches and there are not many out there willing to accept that amount.
2. Micheal Nsien
He is currently head coach of the US Under 16 and Under 19 national football teams. He comes well equipped with a rich CV and has been getting a lot of publicity both locally and internationally. He seem to have an edge because he fits in perfectly as both a foreign and local coach and has agreed to work with Nigerian coaches if given the job.
That seem to be the joker for him because Conceicao wants to come with his own assistants. Nsien will be in Morocco to watch the Super Eagles friendlies against Ghana and Mali and could use that opportunity to pass a message across. The good thing with him is that, he is very passionate, understands the terrain very well and will be willing to live and work in Nigeria if the terms are right.
3. Emmanuel Amunike
He seem more like the fans favourite. On social media, two out of every three football fan wants Amunike. He was assistant coach to Augustine Eguaveon when Nigeria lost to Ghana in their bid to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Before then, he had made history, as the first coach to qualify Tanzania for the Nations Cup after over thirty years of patient wait. Added to that, Emma, is a member of that famous Nigeria World Cup team of 1994 and scored the winning goal as the Super Eagles defeated Zambia to win a second AFCON trophy in 1994.
He also coached the likes of Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze in the Under 17 National team that won Gold for Nigeria at the FIFA Under 17 World Cup in Chile. The fact that he knows a few members of the present Super Eagles team speaks volume. Like Nsien, he also flaunts a UEFA A’ Coaching license among other certificates. The key factors in his favour is the fact that he is indigenous, has the backing of most of his former national team mates and will not cost as much as the other two coaches listed above.
By Adewale Ajayi
