Nse Essien, a member of the executive committee, stated that the Nigeria Football Federation would remove coach Jose Peseiro if they had the funds to reimburse him for his two subpar performances in World Cup qualifiers.
Following their two qualifying matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, Nigeria only managed two draws, placing their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in significant risk.
Zimbabwe took the lead in the first half thanks to a straight free kick from Walter Musona, and Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho equalized halfway through the second half.
Peseiro, the Portuguese coach, has come under fire specifically for the Super Eagles’ sluggish qualifying campaign.
“If we had the money (to pay for compensation), we will be willing to relieve him of his job, we’re not happy,” NFF member Essien told reporters.
“Everybody is asking for the sack of the head coach. It’s unfortunate that from a possible six points we only have two points. We’re in a very precarious situation,” he added.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, South Africa is leading Group C with three points and is likely to extend their lead when they visit Rwanda on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Lesotho is hosting Benin in South Africa.
Nigeria had two points from two games but was unable to secure a spot in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Nigeria will try to make up ground when they host South Africa in the southern city of Uyo in June 2024, ahead of a challenging trip to Benin.
AFP