2023 AFCON Q: Who will lead the Super Eagles against Sao Tome and Principe?

Nigeria take on São Tomé and Príncipe in their final game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on the 10th of September at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles have already booked their place in the Ivory Coast after picking 12 points from five games. Still, Guinea-Bissau are just two points behind, and they could topple Nigeria if the three-time African champions lose to São Tomé and Príncipe.

While Nigeria boasts of a lot of quality players, especially in the final third, the big problem currently is the absence of a coach.

Jose Peseiro, who has been in charge for just over a year, is out of contract, and the Nigeria Football Federation is yet to agree on an extension. Because of this, there is uncertainty going into the fixture, as the NFF have not revealed who will lead the team to play São Tomé.

Aside from Jose Peseiro, the other two options that the NFF have are Augustine Eguavoen and Salisu Yusuf. As a result, Soccernet.ng analyses these coaches, their antecedents, and what could happen afterwards.

Jose Peseiro

The Portuguese tactician just took charge of the Super Eagles in May last year, but his contract with the NFF has expired, and it is unclear if they will keep him.

Since Peseiro took over as Nigeria’s coach, he has not inspired much confidence, as he has lost five of his nine games in charge. Also, he was on a $70,000 per month deal, which the NFF struggled with.

An indigenous coach would obviously be way cheaper, but bringing in a new coach right now would mean that the players would have to adjust to a new setup, and it could be disastrous as the Nations Cup is barely six months away.

They should be ready for the backlash if they decide to gamble on the Super Eagles’ coaching position like the previous NFF board did, and it does not end well.

Augustine Eguavoen

Images of the gloomy evening in Abuja when the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after a 1-1 draw against Ghana are still fresh in the hearts of many Nigerian football fans.

São Tomé and Príncipe are minnows, so Eguavoen should be able to guide the Super Eagles past them.

However, the NFF would have to decide if they want to retain him, especially as he does not have a history of success with the national team.

Salisu Yusuf

The former Enyimba gaffer is also a top contender to lead Nigeria against São Tomé. However, he has a huge dent in his CV.

Coach Yusuf was implicated in a bribery scandal in 2018 after being caught on video accepting bribes from an undercover reporter.

Subsequently, he was banned for a year and fined $5,000. However, he was reinstated in the upper Eagles fold after he served his ban. Having him lead the Super Eagles would be disappointing.

Yusuf was in charge of the Nigeria team that failed to qualify for the Olympics. He has also been in charge of the home-based Super Eagles (B team), leading them to a second-place finish at the 2018 CHAN.

With just two weeks, the NFF has to make a choice quickly, so the game can go smoothly. It would be unpleasant if Nigeria dropped points against a São Tomé side, 147 places behind on FIFA’s rankings.