Fides Media Living the Faith
By Alexander Johnson Adejoh
Stakeholders have condemned the Nigeria Football Federation after the federation used a social media poll to decide whether to renew the contract of Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro or relieve him of his job.
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.
The Portuguese coach, who earns $70,000 per month, will see his one-year contract with the federation expire in five days’ time.
The stats and figures since Peseiro took over the Eagles’ job have not been impressive, raising doubts about his credential to continue with the three-time African champions.
Under the tutelage of the Portuguese, the Eagles have churned out underwhelming performances and have only won four of their eight games under the watch of the 67-year-old manager, losing the remaining four, with the side scoring 15 goals and conceding 11.
It was also under Peseiro that the Eagles recorded their worst run in 42 years as they 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.
Report showed that 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.
UK-based Nigerian journalist, Osasu Obayiuwana, added, “I think this is a complete dereliction of duty on the part of the Nigeria Football Federation to tell fans to take a professional decision.
‘The decision to keep a coach in his job or to sack or not to renew his contract is a professional decision and it cannot be decided upon by using Big Brother tactics, it is absurd.’ he asserted.
The decision seems to be unpopular among board member of the NFF.
A board member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, ‘This has really brought us to ridicule and will give the Nigerian public, with good reason, the right to think that we do not know what we are doing. ‘We might as well subject our own future, as a board, to a public vote. Whoever convinced the president (Gusau) to do this does not mean well for Nigerian football.’ he contended.