World Cup Qualifiers: Siasia opposes appointment of foreign coach for Super Eagles

As the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) considers hiring a foreign coach for the Super Eagles, former national team coach Samson Siasia has expressed strong opposition, emphasizing that the country has capable local talent to lead the team.  

The Bayelsa-born tactician urged his former teammate Austine Eguavoen, who currently serves as interim coach of the Super Eagles, to officially step down from the role and focus on his primary duties as the NFF’s technical director.

Siasia, who previously managed Nigeria’s U-20 and U-23 national teams, dismissed the necessity of bringing in foreign expertise. “We don’t want any foreign coach here because they are not coming to do anything. We have enough good materials at home that we should not be talking about hiring a foreign coach,” he stated.

While Eguavoen successfully led the Super Eagles to qualify for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), his future with the team remains uncertain as the NFF has yet to clarify his status ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Siasia added that Eguavoen should decide between his interim coaching position and his primary responsibility as the federation’s technical director. “He needs to choose which path to focus on for the good of Nigerian football,” Siasia concluded.

This debate reignites discussions on the effectiveness of local versus foreign coaches in Nigerian football, a topic that has long divided opinions within the sport.

“As for Austin Eguavoen’s future with the Super Eagles, I will suggest that we wait a while to see how the team will be. It is a very young team. Eguavoen has a job already as the technical director. He should resign as Super Eagles manager and concentrate on his job. He cannot hold two positions at the same time. He should actually decide on which one to hold and leave the other,” he was quoted as saying.