The departure of Jose Peseiro has set the ball rolling for what promises to be a heated and interesting search for the new man to head the Super Eagles.
Peseiro has thrown in the towel even after he surpassed an AFCON semifinal target set for him by his employers the NFF.
The Portuguese coach guided a defensively organised team to go all the way to the AFCON final against most expectations.
He has now opted for a new adventure away from the Super Eagles.
The NFF will now have to shop for a new man to boss the country’s team beginning with a friendly later this month ahead of two crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin in June.
It is this new man who will have to steer the team back into top contention to qualify for the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
Nigeria are currently third in the standings in their qualifying section after two laboured draws with Lesotho and Zimbabwe in November.
Thus the home game against second-placed South Africa, who incidentally stretched the Super Eagles to a dramatic penalty shootout in the AFCON semifinal, will be the classic six pointer.
The NFF led by president Ibrahim Gusau therefore have the onerous task of appointing a new coach to deliver a ticket to the next World Cup after the country failed to feature at the 2022 Mundial in Qatar.
The new coach will also have to qualify the Super Eagles to next year’s AFCON in Morocco.
This search comes amid growing calls for a local man to take charge of the Super Eagles.
Former Tanzania coach Emmanuel Amuneke and his Super Eagles teammate during the Golden Generation of the Super Eagles, Finidi George, have already been widely linked to the top post.
Both have already assisted the Super Eagles head coach with Finidi involved with the team at last month’s AFCON after he guided Enyimba to win the NPFL championship last year.
Both men enjoyed successful playing careers in Europe with top clubs like Barcelona, Ajax and Real Betis.
Amuneke has also dirtied his hands with the country’s U17s and U20s, putting together a team who won a record fifth U17 World Cup in 2015 and from where their biggest stars like Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze came through.
The often broke NFF can afford both men and possibly even control them, but can these coaches manage the egos of the country’s top Europe-based stars?
Will the NFF also give them total support as they have given to the foreign coaches?
The truth is that there are more questions than answers when it comes to this option.
Despite the many challenges, foreign coaches have also be drawn to the top Nigerian coaching post because of the undoubted pool of talent available.
The Super Eagles job is the spring board Peseiro has used for his new adventure and so will it be for another expatriate.
But above all, what the ordinary Nigeria fan desires after all the debates and contract talks is for the NFF to appoint the man to qualify the Super Eagles to the biggest ever World Cup two years from now.
That is not negotiable.
