SCORENigeria has learnt that former Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet has also been grilled by the NFF technical committee for the vacant Super Eagles job.
It was a virtual interview.
The 51-year-old Belgian is currently in charge of The Philippines after he was appointed in February 2024.
He came very close to leading the Super Eagles in March 2012 when he was appointed by the NFF as technical director only for the sports ministry to later overrule this engagement.
“It was always my dream and it is always my dream to work with the Super Eagles,”Sainfiet said in a newspaper interview last year.
“For me, they are probably the strongest football nation in Africa with so much quality in the local league and in Europe.
“What Morocco did, Nigeria could have done many times, reaching the semi-finals and even more at the World Cup. If they had the right coaching strategy and right tactics, they would have achieved that.
“That’s the reason I was interested in the Nigerian job in 2010, in 2014 and 2018 but it didn’t come and hopefully, it happens in the future.
“It’s always a dream and I’m convinced I’m the coach who can guide Nigeria to that exceptional success both at the AFCON and the World Cup.”
He was coach of Gambia between 2018 and 2024 during which time he guided them to the quarterfinal of the delayed 2021 AFCON in Cameroon.
He has also headed Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi and Togo.
SCORENigeria has already reported that the NFF have made contact with the representatives of Herve Renard and Steve McClaren for the Super Eagles top post.
