Super Eagles caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen has debunked reports he has quit the post.
Eguavoen took charge of the Super Eagles for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
The three-time African champions recorded a win and draw from the two games.
There were reports the 59-year-old has step down from the position in the aftermath of the Super Eagles 0-0 draw with Rwanda on Tuesday.
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“Whatever people are reading out there is not correct, I am still in charge,” Eguavoen clarified on arrival in Nigeria from the match in Rwanda.
“I am the technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation saddled with the responsibility of taking the Super Eagles at this moment and that is where we are.
“I only talked that I am going to sit down with hierarchy of federation after these two games and see how we prosecute the next games.
“It’s quite unfortunate that people trigger what is not correct and the situation we’re in we don’t need negative stories.”
By Adeboye Amosu
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COMMENTS
I think eguavon should continue on permanent basis
NFF should give him 2yrars contract and free hands to choose his players but at same time scrutinize his list of players to maintain meritocracy,
Eguavon on his own should shun favoritism and always choose the fit and best players
Sign a pact with any top club in d Europe top four leagues always go there for two or three months refreshers course,improve yourself and your capacity don’t think you know it all,don’t wait until d NFF send you for a refreshers course do it for your own good,
D only thing lacking in eguavon ability is that little clever tactics cunning coaches uses to outsmart there opponent all in all the new SE is a work in progress
Truth be told d Ruwanda coach is a bit smarter than our coach,luck and lack of personnel helped him yesterday,if he has the kind of materials we have got he will beat us hands down
Eguavon, na correct man you be. You tried in the two matches.
Eguavoen really needs to read the game better. Why did he remove Ndidi and Dele Bashiru yesterday there was no need for that. Killed our chance of winning that game. He did the same in WC qualfier Knockouts. When he brought on Musa and Ighalo in 71 mins when we really needed a goal
If you don’t have it, you don’t have it.
There are things refresher courses can’t teach. Coaching is 90% percent innate.
There is a reason Eguaveon had to ‘borrow’ Peseiro’s formation and even when the game called for it, there was no tactical switch or impute on the part of Coach Augustine. He had no other plan. So, we basically stuck to plan A; 3-4-3. Infact his substitutions showed us he is a bad read of the game. But that isn’t new as past precedence as showed us, when things come to bear, Eguaveon falters. Case in point, matches against Ivory coast (AFCON 2006), all teams in the Group stage exit during U23 qualification for the London olympics, Tunisia (AFCON 2021), and ofcourse the recent world cup qualifier against Ghana. He simply folds from lack of ideas.
Eguaveon starts well but he never sustains the tempo. Cause he really doesn’t have that flexibility and initiative to be consistent. He is got only Plan A.
But I digress, I would hold my horses and for Nigerian’s sake, hope he proves me wrong. Nay, I pray he proves me wrong. Cause with all sincerity, we really need it.
No comment. After all, glasshouse has perpetually toyed with our football.
Eguavoen is no different from other Nigerian coaches when it comes to favoritism and rigid choices. I stand to be corrected but I’m seeing Somes traces of favoritism in his players selection.
Starting an underperforming Bonifice in the two games has reignited his grave mistakes in the World Cup qualifier against Ghana. He gave opportunities to players like Ighalo and Dennis while leaving out players that were performing better in top leagues.
Starting Boniface in the two matches when it was obvious he did poorly in the first game and not the kind of striker for the formation shows he has not learnt anything. Boni who appears to hold the worst goal per game record among the strikers can’t do anything different. Awoniyi is the only Osimhen like striker in the team. Even a fit Kelechi is better than Boni in SE matches.
Would he have given same opportunity to Kele or Awo if they had such a subdued game in their first game ?
He complained about Kele and Awo not having enough game time but saw it differently with Osi. This is double standard that should be avoided to improve the team’s bond.
Besides, just like his playing style, Eguavoen appears to be rigid minded and that will hurt the team when they face flexible coaches.
Any local coach that is interested in leading the team should invest time and money on coaching courses in top 5 leagues.
You have five defenders on the pitch. Subbing in two defensive midfielders. Expected Eguavoen to sub in Iwobi to explore those spaces in midfield. Same questionable substitution he did against Ghana which ended in draw and we failed to qualify for the last World Cup
Questionable substitution by Eguavoen
Eguavoen substitutions under pressure are always questionable. How can you substitute Bashiru and Ndidi, then sub in Onyedika and Onyeka who are both deep midfielders with almost similar patterns of play. Today’s match screamed Iwobi. Too Much pocket of spaces for him to explore
This were reaction from some people. One fool was talking about the midfield better off without iwobi yesterday. How can you substituted an attacking and defensive midfielder and brought in two defensive player with already 5 defenders on the pitch is that a coach. Copy and paste. Was he trying to force a draw against hapless Rwanda team?
All of you condemning him should keep quiet. Now am hearing under-performing Boniface, when he didn’t start during Finidis era, many of you questioned why he wasn’t starting. Instead of you to call out the selfish lookman who had numerous opportunity to lay clear passes for Boniface but rather wants all the glory for himself. Please what impact has Iwobi given this team, absolutely nothing. What did he do against Benin republic, better go back and watch the game. It’s time some players need to vacate that team. Chukuweze especially.
Hahahahaha……’what impact has Iwobi given this team, absolutely nothing..’
Out of the 4 goals we scored in 4 games under your imbecile uncle, Iwobi assisted 2. That’s 50 percent of goals scored under him.
50 percent equals to zero in the sunday school you attended thinking you attended school.
Abirun eranko.
Iwobi is best deployed as an AM or a winger. He can perform on the left wing or right wing. He does this at Fulham consistently. Let’s use him where he can add value.
Boniface has a lot of quality, but for some reason has underwhelmed so far. I’d give him more opportunities, but we need to see results. Even if he’s not scoring, come up with assists. Make the opponent’s goalie work. When you’re doing the right things, eventually you will catch a break. I saw a few flashes from him in both games, but he needs to bring more to the table.
As for Ogun Efon, I am a critic of his. But he impressed me with his willingness to try something new, by copying Peseiro’s template. He also seems to be highly regarded in the dressing room, which is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT! The players respect him, and they are comfortable with him. This is huge.
His tactical awareness is suspect, but all things considered, if the NFF are unwilling to spend the money to get us an elite coach, then I would rather hold what I have. Eguavoen is not our first choice, but half bread will always be better than no bread at all.
Subject to current form, my team going forward is as follows:
Goalie – Nwabali, Okoye, and any other in form goalie.
Wing backs – Bruno, Osayi, Aina, Ehizibue (if he’s willing). If not, Tanimu will do.
Center backs – Ekong, Bassey, Ajayi, Osho, Ogbu, Ndah
Box to box midfielders – Ndidi, Fisayo and Tom Dele Bashiru, Onyeka, Onyedika, Yusuf.
Wingers – Lookman, Tella, Iwobi, Ejuke, Simon
Forwards – Osimhen, Solanke, Boniface, Akpom and Orban.
Formations deployed depending on the opponents should be 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1. 4-4-2 can also be adequate sometimes, DEPENDING ON THE OPPONENT.
We don’t have to implement these suggestions to the T, but if we move in this general direction, we will prosper, even under Eguavoen’s management.
How does tom play when you uche playing at a higher level in a top 5 league? Besides that, not a bad lust. I will add sani suleiman to the list.
As I mentioned, it’s not a list to be followed to the letter. I don’t know it all. It’s not my job.
What we need is selection of the best of the best, and I believe most of these players I listed are among the best we have AT THE MOMENT.
Tom has been starting regularly throughout this year for Watford, who are 3rd in the English Championship. They just might make it back to the premier league.
Uche is a good midfielder. I also had Tino Anjorin the new Empoli midfielder in mind, if he’s willing to switch and play for Naija. Leslie Ugochukwu and Tim Iroegbunam are also there. There are several other good prospects out there.
Even the forgotten man Ovie Ejaria can be an option. We just need to keep communication lines open. He now plays for Oxford United. He may yet come good for us if we try him in a friendly.
It’s up to the technical crew to select the best of the best out of all the possible options. This is their job. They need to roll up their sleeves and get to work!
Ah Pompei, maybe you feel our home based, sorry, local coaches have the balls to invite new faces to freshen up their squads. You revealed as many as 8 “new” names to be invited in your wonderful list.
You think a coach on his 4th stint on the job will dare drop the “godfathers underperforming kids” for any new face when lobby for “permanent seat” is in focus?
Oh, you think those “kids” are not rooting for him now because their sell by date is already obvious but they know when slots are reserved for them even if it is a place on the bench?
In fact, there are no windows for friendlies anymore in 2024 so kiss new names goodbye.
Clear road for the godfather kids in the team. They go nowhere unless a pharaoh that knows no Joseph (a foreign, independent coach) is in charge of the team.
How can an organization use a year to seek a new manager and it expects serious confidence from outsiders?
Those who forget the past ARE CONDEMNED TO repeat it.
NFF is on a downward spiral. It is unfortunate they have added the Falcons to the mix. Gusau and co will break records sha.
They don’t have any trophy in their cabinet yet they appear that is not a telltale
There’s no way I would support the appointment of Austin as the permanent coach of the SE. His tactics are too predictable…only plan A and whenever plan A is not work, he get confused
The question I am begging anybody that want the NFF to make permanent his appointment as SE coach is
can Eguavoen win the six remaining matches for the WC qualifying matches?
As long as I always advocate for our own to manage Super Eagles, I’m not in support of Eguavoen for some reasons.
1. He’s very biased in his selections.
2. Eguavoen has no plan two.
3. He preferred unfit or match rusty players to inform players.
Simply put, Siasia should replace Eguavoen. We don’t need a foreign coach for the Super Eagles. If those foreign coaches are good enough, I’m pretty sure that their home country will make one of them the coach of their national team.
Let’s welcome Siasia on board. Again, what I’m seeing when sitting if the NFF can see a bit of it, they will listen to me. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Lol. That is akin to throwing up a recently released (after doing time of half a decade) ex jailbird for a management position in your father’s company. Will you try it?
Sometimes (I know it is hard nowadays), try to see our senior national team as a BRAND that is competing among several nations every damn year.
Let Siasia breathe. Stigma of corruption is still fresh. Oh, because CAS didn’t stick to FIFA decade ban in the first place?
This sick culture of recycling coaches at nearly all levels (Bosso even got elevation to OLYMPIC TEAM!) is giving Eguavoen the mind to stick with Eagles after 3 stints of indescribable torture.
Sly, you will know our local coaches and their U-tournament medals are a scam when you recall that Semi Ajayi was inexplicably dropped from the Flying Eagles team to the U20 world cup in 2011 after a spectacular performance at the Toulon invitational tournament. Today Semi Ajayi is still actively playing ‘top level’ football while nearly all of John Obu’s entire team have retired from football….LMAOOoo
Sly, you will know our local coaches and their U-tournament medals are a scam when you recall that Semi Ajayi was inexplicably dropped from the Flying Eagles team to the U20 world cup in 2011 after a spectacular performance at the Toulon invitational tournament. Today Semi Ajayi is still actively playing ‘top level’ football while nearly all of John Obu’s entire team have retired from football….LMAOOoo
Hehehe. They want us to believe the system of things then has dramatically improved today. Nonsense. FIFA is even trying to better our lot now (after using age cheats in time past) to create a cesspool of players at the under 17 level with world cup every year for the next 5 years from 2025 but half baked, unfit, tactless, “godfather new kids”, talentless teams will flood our team sheets while more prepared and serious other African nations will take advantage of the new enlarged teams world cup format to further send our age cadre groups into oblivion BECAUSE OF THE PANDERING TO all comers by our local coaches.
Nigeria still feels the monopoly of age group dominance in Africa is there to take at any slight opportunity.
FIFA has just torn to shreds that barrier. African nations so keen on development with this FIFA initiative will send Nigeria to the abyss when they meticulously plan their team progression gradually from under 17 to under 20 to Olympic team and national team in a few years time.
The foreign born pros we so pride ourselves in to bail us out of our deliberate lack of preparations (when has NFF done wholesome refresher courses for their coaches? Don’t say they did one for women’s league recently when men are still the dominant ones in the league) will soon meet their match when the same clubs they play in snap up other African exports from the same competitions FIFA is levelling for any serious nation.
MRI to the rescue! We now look so inferior playing any country on the continent at lower levels. Even WAFU that has a “B” (imagine no division), we still can’t dominate any competition and we feel our coaches are seriously talented.
As at now, NFF cannot even confirm if Manu Garba boys are in the next under 17 championship. No wonder the coaches are paid on per match basis. Unserious technical crew will always reflect their employers. He is currently “jobless” and he expects to outfox other coaches that are not idly by.
Local coaches are a scam indeed. Only relevant a few weeks to a major competition even when they know they are only paid for each match. Then they let all comers dictate the pool of players to raise a team from in a jiffy. Then, they want to steamroll opponents in Africa (leave world championships first). They flunk the chance to be their own man and then “step aside” for a while because due to their indispensable wisdom, they would still come back (or even get elevated) WHILE STILL BEING IDLE.
No one player from the previous 2 under 20 world cups one Olympic team new boss managed is making waves today and that coach took at least 26 players per time. That’s even under 20. Under 17 no kuku dey pass WAFU B before now.
Scam on point.