Sports Minister John Enoh must stand to be counted now before it is too late. Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, deserves to be kicked out of the job before more Nigerian heart attack cases go back to their creator watching their darling team’s disturbing frigidity.

Peseiro is a bundle of failures. Since he assumed office on May 15, 2022, the Eagles have become mere chickens, unable to take off from the ground and happy to be struggling for crumbs with less rated teams like Sierra Leone, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

There are lots to explain by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF). The gaffer was an abysmal underperformer during his first contract. No serious worker agrees to a pay cut after being snubbed by his employers. Only misfits do.

With two matches decided in their World Cup 2024 qualifying group, the Eagles are left with two points from a possible six. In football, Lesotho is but a dot on the African map. The Warriors of Zimbabwe are presently cowards in soccer. These lowly sides were forced to a 1-1 draw by Nigeria.

The situation is crazy. Super Eagles could not make it to the Qatar 2022 Mundial. Since their debut at USA’94, the three – time African champions have never missed two consecutive editions. With Peseiro around, that is becoming the likely picture.

Those who hired the Portuguese in the first place deceived Nigerians by hanging an undeserved tag on him. Fans were told that he was recommended by namesake, Jose Mourinho, the Special One, who makes African players play out their hearts.

The only special thing about Peseiro is that he is a serial loser. In 2003, he was an assistant to Carlos Queiroz at Real Madrid. Both men were sacked. In 2007, the man was fired by Panathinaikos. Bucuresti dumped him in 2008. The Saudis pushed the manager away in 2011, so did Braga in 2012 and again in 2016.

Peseiro was like abandoned property when Al Ahly fans rose against their team employing him in 2015. Sharjah laid him off in 2017. Sporting CP followed in 2018. This is the profile of the manager employed to handle a great team like the Super Eagles.

Enoh must call for Peseiro’s contractual papers. If indeed those who dubiously employed a man with baggage, claim that there is no money to pay him off, of course, heads should roll. This may be time to scrutinise the inner cubicles of the Glass House.

Peseiro has a terrible record. He has never qualified a team for the World Cup. Saudi Arabia believed so much in him when they defeated Iran away, for the first time, in 2009 on the way to South Africa 2010. And that was the end of his best. The Saudis could not make it.

Venezuela hired him to take them to the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Peseiro perceived the smell of petro dollars once again. He was disappointed. While the Saudis spoiled him with good pay, the Venezuelans starved him of dollars. He walked away and they did not qualify.

Peseiro is a huge disappointment. Clemens Westerhof did not boast of such a rich resume when he resumed in Nigeria in 1989. The Dutchman had no national team experience and was not blessed with a legion of Europe based stars. Yet, he did so well by energising players from the Nigerian league.

Peseiro only assembles players from Europe. He does not know how to get the best from them. Eagles have no discernable pattern even with Victor Osimhen, one of the best players in the world. This is not the kind of coach we deserve.

Football is the only force that unites Nigerians who have been divided by Fourth Republic politics. The economy is comatose, watching the Eagles give the people joy. Whoever wants to add to their sorrows, should be shown the way out.

The Sports minister must act immediately. Silence is not golden in Peseiro’s case. Delay is dangerous. There are Nigerians who can do even better than this heartbreaker. They should be engaged to conclude the qualifiers.

The money wasted to employ an underachiever would have been enough to pay a purely Nigerian technical crew. The African Nations Cup is by the corner. A Nigerian manager understands the Nigerian mentality better.

The Eagles will fly high again. Peseiro does not have what it takes to manage the team. Those who employed him must find a way to disengage him immediately. A man, whose 14 games earned five defeats and three draws, is below standard and definitely not the person for the Eagles.

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