Former Nigeria international Emmanuel Amuneke has expressed his interest in the vacant Super Eagles coaching job.
This was dislcosed by former BBC reporter and current writer for the Guardian, Osasu Obayiuwana.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) recently declared the Eagles coaching job vacant following the exit of Jose Peseiro.
The Portuguese led the Eagles to a second place finish at the AFCON 2023 but has left his position.
Now, Obayiuwana has stated that the AFCON 1994 winner has indicated his interest to lead the Eagles.
“1994 @CAF_Online #AFOTY .@AmunekeEmma9496, the former @ZSCOfficial, @FCBarcelona and @NGSuperEagles player, has confirmed to me that he has put himself in the running to be the next manager of #Nigeria’s national team,” he wrote on X.
Amuneke led the Golden Eaglets to the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup title.
On 6 August 2018, he was appointed Tanzania head coach and qualified them for the 2019 AFCON.
He was assistant to Austin Eguavoen in February 2022.
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I don’t think Amuneke has got what it takes to coach and manage the super eagles… against other powerful football teams world wide. I just think we should get a foreign coach with pedigree, capacity to invest his knowledge, influence and tactical experience of the on the team. A coach with personality.
How do you think the players of Nigerian origin both home and abroad will respect a local coach like Amuneke or any other without enough proof of expertise experience, exposure and quality to show case
We are talking about the super eagles for god’s sake! Please, let’s think of the best and go for it.
I am yet to see a Nigerian coach that can match the expectations of the super eagles… nepotism, tribalism, corruption and lack of tactical exposure and experience as well as stage fright. Nigerian coach can not give what they don’t have….
Abeg they should stop mentioning Amuneke’s name. To me, he is not enough for the super eagles…abeg abeg!!
@ Sugar Daddy,you are on point.Im also of that view that no local coach can gabdke the super eagles ego for now. No local coach would be respected by their respective foreign club where they ply their trade.
This isn’t about race card,or our own. Positive Football nowadays is how much owners can invest in terms of human resources, administration and facilities and never emilokan.
Amunike can apply but I do not think he has a record to stand on
I think we should not write off amuneke.. many people are complaining of tribalism in his team but we won the u17 world cup with his boys largely from the south of Nigeria, with an oshimen in his team.. we all know the talent of Nigerian football is in the south and even foreign coaches have majority of their boys from the south.. this is different from Ladan bosso who has his team hardly from the north and they keep messing up….
Let’s give him a chance! He did it in Tanzania and he is one of the best we currently have. He is the only coach close to the likes of keshi.. although keshi record will be difficult to break
@ what was Amunike achievement with the Tanzania national team? The got kicked out in AFCON in the group stage and he was sacked.
He also failed to turn around the fortune of clubs in Zambia and Egypt.
Amunike can try a little, but Nigeria needs a coach that can win the AFCON and the World cup.Its long overdue and the morroco national team has shown that, yes an African nation can win the world cup
Thank you. There’s a reason Amuneke keeps declaring interest. He’s seen what all his ’94 mates have done and he’s convinced he can do a lot better. He’s largely done well with national teams, setting records with Nigeria and Tanzania. Maybe not so well with clubs. Some coaches do better with national teams and not clubs and vice versa.
I honestly can’t understand why some people choose to harp on the U20 blip where he was in charge for just about a month and when Sudan came with overaged men (I don’t rate U20 teams much cos there’s no MRI unlike U17).
We like to celebrate our 1994 Afcon win and Olympic 96 gold medal, but conveniently chose to ignore the hero of both wins – Amueneke, scoring vital goals in the finals to hand Nigeria the trophy and gold medal.
And how’s U17 so much different from the senior team? Angola’s Goncalves who almost stopped Nigeria at the QF at the Afcon (and still believes he could have beaten Paseiro) was until recently that country’s U17 coach. Their FA was so impressed with him, they upgraded him to the senior team and he continued his impressive work there. Mind you, he didn’t even win the U17 FIFA World Cup like Amuneke.
Let’s put some respect on that name, please. We like to respect Tella and Manu Garba, but disrespect Amuneke, fellow FIFA U17 World Cup-winning coach whose players are the most dominant in SE of the 3.
Aside from Keshi, which former player turned coach has won a trophy with a national team? Just Keshi and Amuneke. Respect Amuneke. Cos he’s naturally an unassuming person who doesn’t remove his legendary status in Nigerian football.
Tella and Garba are junior teams coaches just like Amuneke. I can understand your sentiment but that’s weak point you’re elaborating on. Let’s rather go for the most qualified local coach instead of a failed one. The records are online.
Mr Amunike pls stay away from super eagles, you don’t ve the temperament or the technicality to manage super eagles, what an insult, my friend pls go and a local team first.
It’s nauseating and clearly out of known metrics to even be considering Amuneke in reference to Eagle’s coaching job. Amuneke was sacked by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) due to the team’s poor performance at the Africa Cup of Nations besides other poor records he registered at Egyptian club side and Zanaco of Zambia were the same Amuneke and his then assistant, Emeya Amadi, I think that is his name, were relieved of their jobs, (FACTS DON’T LIE). These are very poor records that must be kept far far off the Super Eagles. What about Austine Eguavoen who has a better record?
Am ready to coach super eagles for free. nff should give me chance to show Nigerians what I can do.i will definitely do well if given the chance am talented in coaching I’ve won many trophies as a coach.i started coaching when I was 18 with Catholic women fc which I help them won trophies.igbo traders fc in Darka Senegal which I won trophies.spare parts association fc.leru fc.
The only noticeable thing on Mr Amuneke’s CV is that he won the U17 World Cup nearly a decade ago.
Can somebody here, anybody, please and please name 5…no sorry….3 coaches….sorry just 1 (lest start with 1) in history, anywhere in the world, who was/were successful in U17 world cup and went on to be successful as senior team (club or national) coaches.
A former sports minister once declared that “our players play in the biggest clubs in the world, in the biggest leagues, and under the biggest coaches, if they come to the national team, they shouldn’t be met with coaches who are way inferior to the quality and standards they are used to in their clubs”
I guess that statement was only valid when there was a need to foreign coaches…..now that it is time to front for local coaches, the handbag carriers of that minister have throw that logic under the wheels of a moving train…..LMAOooo
….valid when there was a need to fire foreign coaches…..
What did Aliou Cisse win before he became successful with Senegal? Familiarity that is why you people will run down legends of this country una never tire.
Hahahaha….Worshipper of legends….are you and your FA ready to surround Amunike with 8 white assistants the same way Senegal did before Cisse could achieve anything tangible with the best and most talented African team of the last decade….??!
Please name 5 no 3 no just 1 trophy, any kind of trophy Peaseiro won before becoming the coach of the Super Eagles. See finish
Hahahaha….I wouldn’t name it…I will ask you to go and check by yourself on Google and come back here and name his successes by yourself….LMAOoo.
By the way, your name really fit you ehn….! LMAOoo
You’ll just be writing…why don’t you actually look Peseiro’s profile up and see for urself?
#Amunike, anybody is normally free to apply for such job but the Nigerian Football Federation mustn’t leave an ugly ptecedence behind by glamorizing failure. Clearly, Amuneke isn’t up to the beat based on performance rating, so it’s been made dead on arrival.
The day Amuneke assumes the management of super eagle, that is the day the Nigeria’s football dies. That is the day Nigeria’s super eagle has forsaken all the strength and sweats that Oga JP efforts gone down the drains. He left us in a enviable position of 28th in the World FIFA rankings. Why in the world should we allow a jobless and low-ranking individual like Amuneke be giving such a responsibly to bustard our national sport that makes so many millions of people around the world be so proud of being a Nigerian. Why? Is Amuneke using ‘Ebo’ to hoodwink all the Nigerian people (NFF) in particular to enable him to get a job that he is not qualify for and surely, will not be able to perform?
What is Amuneke saying self? He hates Nigeria otherwise what report card has he to be forcing himself to coach our darling team? Abeg Amuneke, pack well and give chance for a more qualified local coach.
Amunike is the best we have among the local coaches and should be given the chance to lead the super eagles. He won the under 17 world cup, fifa have to invite him to explain his tactics, he qualified Tanzania national team to their first Nations cup in 2019 and also club experience. His boys are in the national team.
Kindly substantiate this comment of Fifa asking Amuneke to explain his winning tactic, if at all the news is valid. Nigeria has won a record 5 u17 titles, and most of them in grand style. Fani Amun and Manu Garba did it more grand style than Amuneke did. So all this noise about Amuneke deserving to become SE coach on the backdrop of winning the cadet world cup does not hold water at all.
Once again, this guy has demonstrated his low class and desperation act. An empty tank makes the loudest noise. He knows he’s got no record and credentials to meet the requirement set for the job, but because he us a Gbajue guy, he is using his cronies in the print world and other places to force his way.
Amuneke, the nff should be very generous to even consider you a coach because you have never won a single senior competition clubside or national team. Even the local coaches that have won the league are ahead of you in a sane world.
A simple suggestion is for you to go hustle for a job at Heartland FC or Abia warriors.
Well said my brother is Stan Eguma not better than him or Dan Ogunmodede
Me I do not recommend Amunike or any of the usual suspects who have already had a chance and failed variously – the list is exhaustive but everyone knows who these people are, Egauvoen, Finidi, Amokachi, Olofinjana etc etc – let’s move away from recycling the same old same old – why is this the case in Nigeria?? How did this culture of NEVER looking beyond their nostrils come up? Is it due to the inherent and pervasive corruption in the country? Kai!
Anyway, whilst I’m at it – this one goes out to anybody involved in our football set-up, specifically regarding the SE’s and their handlers , scouts etc – please please please – spread your net wide, and it’s even a lot easier now than it ever was – ranging from candidates for the the coaching job to players for the team –
Hear this!! Go NOW and start trying to get these two kids 18 and 19 year olds playing for Man City and Man Utd – Michael Okeke (Man City youth team) -this kid has already been claimed by Hungary- why oh why do we allow these stupid situations to develop and we will be wanting a great team but we do ZERO about it, make absolutely no effort but want to achieve greatness – Michael Okeke is going to be the next world’s Messi! – Yes, you heard that right and heard it from yours truly first! Mark this date and mark my words!, this kid is better than Michael Olise please find his Nigerian father and start begging him RIGHT NOW!!- We must not lose this kid to Hungary, a racist country for that matter that does not even like or rate blacks yet they are going to benefit from one of our sons?? Haba! that does not make any sense! Okeke is now 19 years old!
The next kid I want to talk about is Habeeb Ogunneye! – This is another supremely blessed footballer and athlete! 18 years old, and already one of the most sought after left backs on the planet, playing for Man Utd and already being watched be England – NIGERIAAA! Get in there sharpish! Lets sound these kids out – these are our sons! Let’s not lose them to Oyinbo countries! – The racism and lack of opportunities and general dislike and disdain continues yet we are producing supreme athletes for them at an unimaginable rate! Which way Nigeria ke? A beg get your house in order ke? Let’s be the ones benefitting from our children and talent – I have said enough o!
Don’t let me see Michael (Messi) Okeke playing for Hungary’s senior national team na beg we dey beg una! Chaii!
Chaii!
I will thank you now. Those are good players. Others can thank you later.
There’s a saying that goes “WHEN YOU WANT TO EAT TOAD, EAR THE ONE THAT IS VERY BIG”…..
If we’re going for indigenous coach, let’s go for the one that has a rich CV…. A coach that is active at least for the past 3 to 4 years without a break.
Let us not repeat the same mistake we did during AFCON 2021 and WC 2022 by hiring an inactive coach to come and take us 40 years backward instead of moving forward.
I still insist that we’ve coaches in NPFL that have been active for the past 3 to 4 years that are better than this Amunike, an inactive coach for a while now. Let’s lunch our net towards their direction and fish them out. If we can, then a foreign coach should be an option.
In all fairness, we should be asking the NFF to grant coach Eguavoen a four year contract let see how it goes. The problem has always been that the local coaches are seldom given time like the foreign coaches to do their job.
i see a lit of comments in this section writing off amuneke bcos they feel he cannot manage the array of players in the team…apart from westherhof and otto gloria which foreign coach has led nigeria to glory or made us a force in africa…lemme think okay amodu shaibu qualified us for 2 world cups nvr took us to one,keshi won us a nations cup took us to the world cup we ,eguavon led the eagles after the bad job a foriegn coach had took us to the semi finals of that nations cup and under his watch we rose to the highest fifa ranking since 94 where we where 5th in the world under his watch we rose to 9th…no african team has entered the top ten in the world apart from the eagles we entered twice..whats the common denominator here they are all nigerian coaches…look at senegal,morroco,cameroon they are all looking inward and they are doing well..yes they are not perfect but look at them ivory coast had their own manager sacked during the tournament and they gave the team to their own…they won the cup…we played strange football at the nations cup we are not naturally defensive but thats what we played…we need sombody who understands our people and strengths to fully use it to bring glory back to the team…any team that has been succesfull always looks inward to their own to lead them…eygpt dominated the at a time they did it with a local coach…for us to get back we need our own…at the moment the best we have among these coaches is amuneke
I think Amunike can success if he is granted an excellent helping by NFF and fan and the technical committee, he can do the best if he will make many things just like : make overhaul on Super Eagles, read the matches so well, put many plans a,b,c for any match he will play it, summoning suitable players for Super Eagles , NFF mustn’t intervene to his decisions and his competences, he must return to the offensive style of SE with putting strong and ferociuos defensive midfield and backline , he can play with 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 to play with balanced tactic, he also should put Daniel Amokache , Sylvanus Okpala, Ike Shoronmu ,Simon Kalika as an excellent assistants ; but if NFF do not hire Amunike I think they must hire a World Class coach like Jocaim Low or Reymond Domenech or Dunga, Frank Rejkaard.
Someone is using the cases of Amodu and Keshi the best local coaches to ever lead the team. Listen, Amodu won national and continental trophies before being considered for Eagles. Keshi did qualify an unrated Togo for Wcup and was part of the national coaching crew as assistants at different periods without rocking the boat before being considered for the
National team top job.
But the few periods your hero had the opportunities of assisting the team, he was playing the boss and made it difficult for the head to lead.
It’s not only that Amuneke is technically and temperamentally deficient with senior teams, he lacks the class of someone that can lead a highly diverse super eagles.
Like Finidi and others, he should be aiming to coach a local side, win the local league, then go lead the CHAN to the podium before being considered for the Super Eagles.
Another thing is which SE coach has gone on to explode with other national teams after dumping Nigeria?
Westerhof? Bonfrere? Bora Milutinović? Trousier? Rohr? Paseiro?
Logic: The quality of players made all the difference. A good toolset will always make any coach world-class. Ask Man City.
Keshi qualified Togo (a record) for World Cup. With Nigeria he won Afcon.
If Amuneke could qualify Tanzania after 24 years (another record), he will do exceptional things with Nigeria at eth next World Cup, just like young Moroccan coach Walid Regragui.
Nigeria and Tanzania are not same level.
It’s really dissappointing hat you are comparing Amuneke with Keshi. Keshi qualified qualified three different teams for nations cup and two different teams for Wcup.
Besides, Keshi spent years as assistance before becoming the head coach of Super Eagles. He assisted Amodu and Bonfere.
Can you list the number of senior matches won by Amuneke. Check this out his winning ratio is less than 20%.
When delusional Amuneke was asked t
to assist Rohr, he felt he was bigger than the job.
No sane organization will hire an incompetent Amuneke to lead a national team. He just doesn’t have a record to back it. He is not even among the top 10 local coaches in terms of record and performance for club sides and national teams.
Let him go apply for Heartland or Aba Warrior job if they will even consider him.
You have sn Afcon bronze winning local coach in the mix and you’re calling for hands of applause for a confirmed failure, who does that? I will only advise the Nff to be careful not n its decision.
Get amuneke Emmanuel ASAP let us see him with these friendly matches first hand, let us observe him before he signs the contract… or if the Nff is as confused as ever and as usually so, then they should appoint finidi ASAP let him audition with these friendly games. my own opinion is that based on continuity, get amuneke and finidi as head coach and assistant respectively. No time for jamboree applications and searching up and down when a serious Nff should remember that June is coming fast
God forbid Amunike. This is why I didnt want Peseiro to leave. I know it’s all these mediocre names that would be springing up.
THE BEST SUPER EAGLES COACHING CREW FOR NOW
1.Emmanuel Amuneke (Head Coach)
2.Finidi George (First Assistant Coach)
3.Daniel Amokachi (Second Assistant Coach)
4.Michael Nssien (Physical Trainer)
5.Ndubuisi Egbo(Assistant Coach/Goalkeepers trainer)
6.Vincent Enyeama (Goalkeepers Trainer)
By virtue of what Emerson Fae(Cote D’Ivoire),Rigobert Song (Cameroon) and Aliou Cisse (Senegal) achieved with their National Teams,the NFF need not look further. Ex -internationals can handle the Super Eagles and will earn their respect from the players.
Augustine Eguavoen,Sunday Oliseh,Samson Siasia, Sylvanus Okpala,Peter Rufai,Mutiu Adepoju,Friday Ekpo,Emeka Ezeugo,Henry Nwosu,Paul Aigbogun,Issa Ladan Bosso,Stanley Eguma,Gbenga Ogunbote,Fidelis Ilechukwu,Manu Garba,Salisu Yusuf, Monday Odigie,John Utaka, Joseph Akpala, Nduka Ugbade,Kennedy Boboye,Imama Amapakabo, even Mike Emenalo are the other options but Emmanuel Amuneke remains our best bet for now due to his business-like and no-nonsense approach. At least,nobody can accuse him of corruption or favouritism in his coaching career. He is also a good manager of men with the required temperament to operate at the top level. He has played at the highest level (World Cup,AFCON, Zamalek SC ,FC Barcelona,Sporting Lisbon,etc) won the Nations Cup,Olympic Football Gold ,African Footballer of the Year. He knows most of the current Super Eagles players (Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho,Kelechi Nwakali,etc). As a coach ,he has tinkered the Golden Eaglets to the FiFA U17 World Cup title , qualified Tanzania to the AFCON,managed teams in Zambia and Egypt.The players are bound to respect him. Give us Amuneke now. Time is running out.
@ Hillary, its funny when you guys drops names here and there without proper evaluation and that’s why Nigeria is what it is today. The Amuneke you mention failed woeful in his senior assignments, in Sudan he was sacked after failures upon failure, the same in Zambia when he took Zanaco to near relegation before they let him loose (mind you that is on of the biggest club in Zambia), in Egypt he was demoted to youth team before they finally kicked him out. Egbo you put as assistance even achieved better. By the way playing for the best clubs does not make you a good coach and being a good player does not also make you a good coach. Klopp was average as a player and today one of the best, same with Pep while at Baca, Jose was even a PhD holder and a translator at Baca, but all these people at one point in time were the best.
We have seen good players turn serial failures, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Shearer and just of recent the home boy Rooney. Please don’t compare age grade competitions with the senior team, they are different ball game, it involves a lot.
@ Kim,what did Emerson Fae, Rigobert Song and Aliou Cisse achieve before they were given the responsibilities of managing the national teams of Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Senegal respectively? Emerson Fae and Aliou Cisse are now AFCON winners as coaches topping expatriate couches in the process.Can you beat that? Hey ,what are you talking about? Is it the usual Nigerian factor at play here? I insist that Emmanuel Amuneke is our best bet for now;to tinker the Super Eagles.
@Hillary, Fae and Cisse came from a well structured football associations (senegal, CIV and France), and they also have been learning the trade before the finally get the nod especially Aliou. Song also worked his way up, he once coached the home based Cameroonians in chan . All came with there assistance from France (a well structured football fa). None of which OUR Amuneke had (or you think Nigeria fa is well structured?). His lasts were U-20 and assisting with nothing to show for in both U20 and assisting SE and when se was bundled out by Ghana he was the first to make an interview among the crew saying that was not his team bla bla (not good enough to be honest).
Look I am not against a Nigerian coach as long as they can show what they have achieved or the BLUE print to take the SE forward which is important, then lets carry GO. Do they have it ? Do nff even have a football philosophy?
Before Eguavoen was name the nff TD, Pinnick offered the job to Olofinjana, but Seyi asked Amaju 3 questions and Amaju could not answer, he simply told Amaju thanks I am not interested.
The questions were, as an association were have you been, were are you now and were do you want to be in special reference to SE.
Seyi himself gave an interview and mention this and I am sure that interview was covered by one or more Nigeria sports blog site.
You don’t need blogs to shout your name to be recognised, simple show what you have achieved and what you can (these are part off nff min requirements for the job).
Self-cannibalization for whatever reasons best known to you is dangerous to you and your conscience.
Emmanuel Amunike is more than qualified to coach the Super Eagles. No one here has given a factual and concise reason why he cannot coach the team. All statements against his candidacy here are driven by sentiments and whatever reason/ agenda best known to you. Some go to the extent of creating multiple accounts to suggest multiple posts are against Amunike.
Simple!
@Ozo, this is not cannibalization but facts, we dont put someone there simply because they are our own or friends.
I once question on this platform couple of years ago why Ogunbote and Makaiba are not in the SE set up, only to realize they do not meet caf minimum coaching requirement to lead a national team (our coaches laid back a lot looking for hand outs).
The best coaches to have ever led our SE are Nigerians (in my own opinion) and that is Keshi and Amodu (RIP to both) they both worked there way up and while Keshi was a good player, Amodu was average while playing for Niger Tornadoes in the 70s, but we can say they are the best coaches Nigeria ever had – FACT NO FEELINGS. The records are there.
Lets do things the right way for once.
God bless yo for this, all those rejecting him is due to hatred, last I checked Bosso said their are 3 criteria’s for choosing a coach. And Amuneke clicks all 3. Was paseiro not hired with losing records with 2 national teams, and was still hired, so I don’t know the excuse this people are coming up for not hiring him.
I’d prefer Finidi but I was told that he doesn’t have the necessary certified requirements to handle the top job. So atm Eguavoen who is more qualified than Amunike gets the job.
If I were to chose between Egu and Amunike, I’ll chose the former because of his top level experience over an extended period of time even though he’s got an underwhelming record as a coach.
Plus he’s got the command of the players respect something I doubt Amunike will have. It might even lead to another Sunday Oliseh saga.
Shout out to @UBFE and @Kim and co. who feel that the NFF should start acknowledging our NPFL coaches instead of recycling exes although these npfl coaches should endeavor to upgrade their licenses.