The matches were very ‘dangerous’ for the hapless Augustine Eguavoen who had no choice but to accept the ‘poisoned chalice’ and to hope for the best. Following a spate of recent poor performances, little or no time to prepare the team well, crisis with recruiting a foreign coach, the match was NOT made for victory.
Add to that the return of key players that had not played in the team since February 2024 – Ekong, Ndidi, Aina, Osimhen.
Augustine Eguavoen was not meant to come out of the series of matches unscathed. He was to be the scapegoat for the failings of administration.
He had no say or choice in the matter of the assignment he was saddled with but took up the challenge without missing a stride. He stepped in confidently, assured the country he would do his best, presented the strongest assembly of Nigerian players of the current generation.
Eguavoen had a few days to stop the drifting ship that had been in turbulent psychological storms since Gernot Rohr was relieved of his contract, his own previous unsuccessful stints as an interim coach, Jose Paseiro’s contract that was not renewed, Finidi George’s ‘failure over the only two matches and he had to resign, and German coach, Bruno Labadia, that jumped ship even before he was to set sail with the Super Eagles.
He led the team passed through the ‘crucible of fire’ and came out in flying colours with 4 out of 6 points and the Super Eagles standing comfortably atop the Group table.
In short, Augustine Eguavoen passed the test, ‘disappointed’ his critics, and created a beautiful new dilemma for his employers, the Nigeria Football Federation.
As head of the technical department of the NFF and because of his unconvincing records in the past, he may not be favoured as the best option to handle the Super Eagles on a permanent basis. But, surely, he has laid a new foundation.
With only one month to the next set of matches in the more challenging 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series, and from all indications, the NFF may ask him to go on and handle the team. Should he succeed again, they would have no option but keep the winning formula that is ‘Eguavoen’ and
definitely tackle the begging question of who can and should manage the Super Eagles and take the team to the stratosphere of football.
Nigeria should never be counted amongst the minnows of football in the world. The country should be amongst the giants.
The rest of the world acknowledges that the raw materials in players are readily available in the country. What is missing are the basic infrastructure, basic equipment and facilities, institutions to run the football at the grassroots, and visionary administrators to run the domestic game at all higher levels.
At the apex are the national teams that showcase the final products of everything before, and advertises Nigerian version of football at the various national levels, internationally.
In all of this, however, there is the most visible and most responsible person – the manager or coach of the national team.
It is a position that should never be treated with the levity we have witnessed in recent years where merit has been sacrificed on the altar of personal, political and financial interests.
The options before the Nigeria Football Federation after last week’s redemptive success are:
- Offer Augustine Eguavoen the job of national coach
- Get any one of a very few qualified and experienced Nigerian coaches. The list is short now – any one (or both) of Samson Siasia and Emmanuel Amuneke, and be prepared to sink or swim with the decision.
- Secure the assurance of the Federal Government pay the wages of a good foreign coach of good repute, credentials and records, to handle the team.
For any one of the above to succeed, however, it would require that Nigerians be patient, the coach be given the resources, time and allowed to work without distractions and interference.
For now, however, Nigerians must thank Augustine Eguavoen for what he did last week in restoring hope, confidence and the possibility of brighter days ahead for the Super Eagles.
