Nigeria’s AFCON 2023 qualifiers start on June 9 with the new Super Eagles Manager, Jose Peseiro, expected to be in charge along with ex-international, Finidi George who was promoted from second to first assistant coach of the team. The Portuguese named only two weeks ago is going to meet the players for the first time during friendlies organised to take place in the USA. First we commend the NFF for demoting Salisu Yusuf to second assistant but we want to say that it would have been better to have removed him outright so that he focuses on the CHAN team and the U-23 team.

It was a shock in the first instance that Yusuf was given the task to pick the players for the friendlies. He heads two national teams and he is still a member of the technical crew of the senior team. It’s amazing. We hereby state that the first two competitive matches of the team against Sierra Leone and Mauritius are important for the new coach and the entire team. With his ‘gigantic’ pay, Peseiro should and must deliver fabulous results for Nigeria. There should be no excuse that the new coach came in so close to the qualifiers. Victor Osimhen, Paul Onuachu, Kelechi Iheanacho and Taiwo Awoniyi were not invited for the friendlies and no reason was given, one only hopes they will join the team for the AFCON qualifiers.

After the disappointment of crashing out at AFCON in the last 16 stage, the Eagles again failed to book a ticket to the World Cup and so the task before Peseiro is huge. Nigerians are tired of excuses. Going forward, the new handler must monitor the country’s domestic league in raising a new-look Super Eagles. With a good job by the crew some goalkeepers and defenders could be considered to join the big boys in the Eagles. At this stage it is also crucial to alert the football federation that the template to get results must be there for Peseiro to do well as expected.

Nigerians love the game so much and it is important to boost the football scene with good results to enable the Eagles to regain the confidence of the people and for Nigeria to take its rightful position in continental and global football circles. Five months after the exit of former Super Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr, the Nigeria Football Federation on May 15 named José Vitor dos Santos Peseiro as the new manager of the senior national team. The 62-yearold Portuguese has handled national teams across four different continents; Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

He has also coached at Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto, Panathinaikos, Rapid Bucharest, Sporting Braga, Vitoria Gumaraes, Al-Hilal, Al-Wahda, Al-Ahly Cairo, Sharjah FC and Real Madrid (assistant coach during the Galacticos era), as well as serving as head coach of the Saudi Arabian and Venezuelan national teams. His appointment did not come as a surprise because the NFF initially named him in January before the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon but somehow, the contract papers were not signed. Peseiro is coming in on a short oneyear contract and will earn a whopping $70,000 monthly.

He was picked ahead of three other recommended coaches namely Philip Cocu, Ernesto Velverde and Laurent Blanc. We recall last month, Rohr won a case he filed against Nigeria with FIFA over the non-payment of his salaries and the world football body ordered Nigeria to pay the coach accordingly.

He was on $50,000 monthly pay and so we frown at the decision to place Peseiro on a higher pay. There are indications that the FG will pay but the truth is the salary is outrageously high. That is about N28 million monthly. Again, the NFF did not clearly come out to tell Nigerians how Peseiro emerged ahead of others.

The contract papers, we were told, will be signed at a future date but almost likely it would not be made public. Revealing some of these details to the public through the press is important so that in time of dispute, it is clear to all who have erred. Perseiro’s journey with the Eagles begins with the upcoming tour of the United States of America, during which Nigeria will slug it out with Mexico and Ecuador in friendlies.

The Eagles will play Mexico in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, May 28 before flying to New Jersey to clash with Ecuador on June 2. While we look forward to a new-look Eagles from Peseiro, he must strike a balance by getting the results because it will be a disaster if Eagles again fail to pick the AFCON 2023 ticket. There should be cohesion in the team and Peseiro must work to gradually achieve blending with the team.

We are aware the changes cannot be immediate but we should see a semblance of a pattern in the team. He should also ensure there are options in whatever pattern he intends to adopt for the Eagles. The talents are there and if the manager is serious, there is hope that the Eagle will rise again on the continent and at the global stage.

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