Nigeria Football Federation board member Nse Essien has stated that they are unhappy with Jose Peseiro’s performance as Super Eagles coach. However, they cannot sack him because they won’t be able to pay him off.
The Portuguese tactician took charge of the Super Eagles in May 2022, but he has been unimpressive. The former Braga coach arrived with a rich CV. but his poor and unimpressive performance have been a source of worry for the football house.The penchant for getting sacked in his previous jobs stood out.
Since Peseiro was appointed, he has won just six of his 13 games. The Super Eagles have not improved since Gernot Rohr was sacked in 2021.
Nigeria started their 2026 World Cup journey last week with fixtures against Lesotho and Zimbabwe. The Super Eagles were the favourites to win, but they were very disappointing, forcing Lesotho to a draw in Uyo Akwa Ibom State and sharing the spoils with Zimbabwe in Rwanda.
Following the recent results, Nigerian football fans clamoured for Peseiro’s sack. However, NFF chief Essien has revealed that it is a complex situation.
“It is unfortunate that instead of six points from two games, we have just two,”
“We have put ourselves in a very difficult situation. But when you say the NFF should sack the coach, we didn’t employ him.
“When you come to look at it, it was the sports ministry that employed him. They should have paid his salary, but up till now, they have not paid a dime.
“If you sack the coach now, who pays the compensation? Not a dime has been paid to this coach, who earns around $70,000 every month. If you sack him, you leave us with the responsibilities, and Nigerians will also crucify us.
“We have to respect his contract, but if we had the money to give him, why wouldn’t we relieve him because we are not happy.”
With the Africa Cup of Nations just a few weeks away, Nigeria is in a precarious situation. With the recent performances, the Super Eagles do not look good enough to win gold in Ivory Coast.
Editor Paul Akhagbemhe
