January 24, (THEWILL) – After the Super Eagles were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, Austin Eguavoen stepped down as interim coach.
Following a flawless group stage performance, which drew deserving accolades for the 56-year-old administrator, the team was unable to defeat a COVID-depleted Tunisian side.
Despite the fact that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had hired Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro, some football commentary had suggested that Eguavoen could retain his position if he led Nigeria to its fourth AFCON title.
However, Youssef Msakni put an end to any hope in the 47th minute when a goalkeeping error allowed the 31-year-old forward for Al-Arabi in the Qatar Star League, to breach Nigeria’s defences.
Eguavoen announced his decision to return to his duties as the NFF’s Technical Director at a post-match press conference.
He also said: “What happens next is that; I’m the interim coach and Technical Director of the NFF, I will go back to my position and allow the Federation to make a decision on the way forward.”
The focus in Nigerian football will now shift to the World Cup play-offs against Ghana, which are scheduled for March.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
