The NFF and the sports ministry will meet today in Abuja to chart the way forward for the Super Eagles ahead of crucial World Cup playoffs against rivals Ghana with the issue of whether to retain Augustine Eguavoen as coach top of the agenda.
Nigeria will have to go past Ghana to reach the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in November.
The final playoffs between the two West African countries will be staged between March 23 and 29 with the overall winners heading to Qatar.
This week, the Eagles under interim coach Eguavoen crashed out to Tunisia at the AFCON Round of 16 after a superb run in the first round.
The NFF are considering who will now lead the team at least for the World Cup playoffs in March after they had already announced that Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro will do so after he would have observed the team at the AFCON.
Peseiro was not in Cameroon and he will now barely have time to train the Eagles for the playoffs.
Sports Minister Sunday Dare has often advocated for Nigerian coaches for the national team because they know “the DNA of the Super Eagles” and it is believed he pushed for Eguavoen to lead the team to Cameroon.
President Muhammadu Buhari also spoke about “Nigerian coaches” leading the team when he spoke with them before the Tunisia game.
Today’s meeting will also deliberate on the venue of the return leg of the playoffs after the recent home ground of the Eagles, the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, was banned by CAF after it failed to meet agreed standards.
Dare has favoured the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja to host the playoff after he initiated a private-public effort to rehabilitate the pitch of the stadium.
The stadium was recently inspected by CAF officials.
