There are indications that a face-off may be brewing between the Minister of Sports, Senator John Owan Enoh, and the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over who will eventually get the nod to manage the Super Eagles in substantive capacity.
While the duo earlier favoured going for an expatriate manager to handle the Super Eagles after former coach, Finidi George, resigned, the performance of the team under the interim manager, Austin Eguavoen, might have swung the tide in favour of the former captain of the team, Eguaveon, from the side of the NFF, which, it has been learnt, believed that given the paucity of funds, the football house could do with Eguaveon.
This medium learnt that the sports minister is bent on ensuring that the NFF must engage a sound foreign coach for the team, especially given the precarious position of the team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
A dependable Sports Ministry source told our correspondent that Senator Enoh is insisting on a foreign coach while the body language from the NFF is that Eguavoen should remain as the team under him had shown remarkable improvement and desire to turn the 2026 World Cup qualifying fortunes.
“The Super Eagles have done well under Eguaveon but the minister is hell-bent on a foreign coach for the team,” the source said.
“But in the NFF, I think they are okay with the performance of Eguaveon and according to information there, the coach may likely continue but that may cause a friction between them and the minister because he wants a sound coach that will come on permanent basis.
“I think the issue of salary for the foreign coach is also another reason NFF may want to continue with Eguaveon but the minister is highly disposed to going after a sound foreign coach,” he said.
On whether he sees a crisis of ego and power in the midst of this, the source said hopefully the issue would be resolved but noted that while the two bodies are insisting on their preferences, the Super Eagles may be the worse for it.
“I don’t foresee any crisis but their insistence may affect the team and whatever that have been achieved with the two matches played so far,” he noted.
