A host of players of the senior national team of Nigeria who were at the last Africa Cup of Nations unanimously endorsed the exit of Jose Peseiro as the coach of the team after the tournament, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.
Peseiro’s deal ran out two weeks after the final game, which the Super Eagles lost 1-2 to the host Cote d’Ivoire. He met the target of reaching the semi final to get an extension to his deal, but the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) opt against extending his stay.
NFF arrived at the decision after consultation with senior players in the team, who were all unhappy with the negative approach of the coach in the build up to the final. His style was seen as two defensive by the players and they advised the NFF against extending his stay.
One of the players highlighted the semi final game against South Africa as a case study saying he kept on instructing them to defend their slim win by ceding possession rather than go all out and finish the game. It backfired when South Africa leveled and forced them into penalty kicks.
It wasn’t any better in the final especially after they went ahead. They sat back and defended on his instructions but caved in when the host scored two late goals to clinch the trophy. It led to a heated disagreement with most of the senior players in the team leading to his exit as coach.
Ade Emmanuel
