THE future of Nigeria’s coach, Jose Peseiro, hangs in the balance as Football Federation (NFF) president, Ibrahim Gusau, has announced that the decision to retain the Portuguese coach will rest with the fans. Peseiro, renowned for his coaching stints at Porto and Sporting in his native Portugal, took charge of the Nigerian national team in May last year. While he has successfully guided the team to qualify for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cote d’Ivoire starting in January, his contract is set to expire on June 30.
A national debate has ensued over whether the 63-yea
r-old coach should be retained, prompting President Gusau to empower the public to voice their opinions on the matter. Speaking on the LovingFootball radio show, Gusau stated, ‘We have the plan to push the votes to Nigerians to hear their views and thoughts. We’ve tried foreign coaches and also local coaches. Maybe we didn’t get it right in the area of finding the right person. We are going to push it to the public, whether we should continue with Peseiro
or he should go.’
Despite securing Nigeria’s qualification for the continental tournament, Peseiro’s tenure has been marked by mixed results, despite having access to a pool of talented players plying their trade in Europe’s top leagues. Following their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Nigerian team has won four matches and suffered five defeats in subsequent games.
The announcement by President Gusau to involve the fans in the decision-making process reflects the federation’s commitment to inclusivity and transparency. As the debate intensifies, Nigerian football enthusiasts eagerly await the opportunity to voice their opinions and contribute to shaping the future of the national team. The outcome of this public mandate will carry significant weight in determining whether Jose Peseiro continues to lead the Nigerian squad or if a new direction is pursued to elevate the team’s performance on the international stage.
