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By Johnny Edward.
Football stakeholders in the country have called on the Nigeria Football Federation not to extend the contract of Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro, following the team’s underwhelming performance under the Portuguese in his first year in charge of the team, The PUNCH reports.
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.
Eguavoen acted in an interim role following the sacking of Franco-German Gernot Rohr December 2021, helping the team reach the last of the 2021 AFCON and failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Peseiro reportedly earns $70,000 monthly but in eight games in charge of the Eagles, he has managed only three wins and five defeats, with the sife scoring 15 goals and conceding 11 goals.
After underwhelming performances by the team under his watch, which included losing four straight games for the first time in 42 years, the country’s football-crazy fans called for his dismissal following the shock 1-0 defeat to minnows and 118th ranked Guinea-Bissau in Abuja last March in a 2023 AFCON qualifier.
A former Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Olympic Committee, Femi Adetula queried why the Portuguese should be handed a new deal.
“Why?” Adetula stated. “What has he done to warrant the extension? He doesn’t deserve a contract renewal,” he added.
“He should not continue as coach of the Eagles. He should just go away,” journalist Afolabi Gambari stated.
“He is clueless and not desirable of the Eagles. Some of my Portuguese friends, who are sports journalists, mock me and Nigeria when we discuss on why we settled for a coach of his calibre.”
Ace sports broadcaster, Temisan Okomi, tasked the NFF to find a suitable replacement, saying Peseiro’s technical abilities are in doubt.
“Peseiro has not worked for us and we need to find another coach fast, like I said earlier. He is not working for us. Peseiro is absolutely not useful as a coach to us and now that his contract is going to lapse, we need to let him go fast.”
Football administrator Shuaib Gara-Gombe added that his contract should not be renewed.
“The NFF should not consider giving him (Peseiro) another contract,” Gara-Gombe said. “We have given so much to him, but we are getting less. The NFF shouldn’t wait until he does more damage.”