Interim Coach Austin Eguavoen has resigned after Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 defeat to Tunisia.
Eguavoen had guided the three-time winners to victories against Egypt, Sudan, and Guinea-Bissau in a row.
In the semifinals, they faced a Tunisian squad that had been hit hard by the Covid virus.
“What happens next is that I become the Nigeria Football Federation’s temporary coach and technical director” (NFF).
The NFF will make the final decision, Eguavoen informed reporters after the game.
After Gernot Rohr was fired last month, Eguavoen took over. Prior to the start of the AFCON, the NFF confirmed Jose Peseiro as the new permanent coach.
It Was Not Fair That Super Eagles Lost – Eguavoen
Austin Eguavoen, the interim coach of the Super Eagles, declared on Sunday that his side did not deserve to lose to Tunisia in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) round of 16 match.
The North Africans have progressed to the quarter-finals of the tournament, where they will face the Burkina Faso Stallions on the same Garoua venue.
Eguavoen condemned his team’s elimination from the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon on shoddy officiating at the post-match news conference.
He also praised his teammates for their efforts. “After Tunisia’s score, we attempted to come back and pursue the game. Afterwards, we received a red card.
The coach said, “It was obvious that the officiating wasn’t fair.”
The coach did admit that he had instructed the players to put the defeat behind them as fast as possible and get back to work as soon as March rolled around.
Coach Eguavoen remarked, “I have encouraged the players to step up and guarantee that Nigeria qualifies for the World Cup.”
He did note out, though, that playing against a tactical team like Tunisia is always tough, particularly when the refereeing is not fair.
As the master of the game, I will not criticize the referee, but Alex Iwobi’s dismissal was unfair. “It wasn’t a deliberate foul,” the coach said.
It’s now or never for the Super Eagles as they prepare to face Ghana in the 2022 FIFA World Cup African Zone Playoffs.
