NFF may not retain Peseiro – Source

The PUNCH has learnt that the Nigeria Football Federation will not open contract talks with Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro, following the expiration of his one-year contract with the federation on Monday.

The NFF announced the appointment of Peseiro as the new coach of the Eagles May 15, 2022, replacing Austin Eguavoen, who returned to his Technical Director role at the federation.

Eguavoen acted in an interim role following the sacking of Franco-German Gernot Rohr December 2021, and helped the team reach the round of 16 at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, but failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Eagles have exhibited underwhelming performances under the tutelage of the Portuguese as they have only won three of the eight games that the 67-year-old manager had taken charge of, losing the remaining five, with the side scoring 15 goals and conceding 11.

It was under Peseiro that the Eagles recorded their worst run in 42 years as the three-time Africa champions lost four consecutive games, including a shock 1-0 defeat to minnows and 118th-ranked Guinea-Bissau in Abuja last March in a 2023 AFCON qualifier.

The Eagles were ranked 30th in the FIFA rankings when the Portuguese took over in May 2022, but in the latest ranking released by the football governing body in April, Nigeria now ranks 40th in the world.

The abysmal display by the team under the Portuguese, who reportedly earns $70,000 (N32m) monthly, has led to fans and stakeholders calling for the non-renewal of his contract.

However, a source in the NFF, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The PUNCH that the federation was not considering retaining the Portuguese following his huge salary and poor results.

“As I speak with you, there is no discussion between the NFF and Peseiro over his contract renewal, the board hasn’t discussed it yet,” our source said.

“The NFF board will take a decision on the coaches of the national teams when their contracts expire because most of them were inherited from the previous board and funding has been a problem for the present board. Some of Ibrahim Gusau-led board members are asking why Peseiro was hired for such huge amount of money and yet he’s not getting the right results neither is he playing good football. I don’t think we will retain Peseiro.”