A decision on who will lead the senior national team of Nigeria following the exit of Jose Peseiro as coach is expected to be made later this month, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.
Top chiefs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are expected to hold an interview session with shortlisted candidates for the job in London in the coming days. Their idea is to get a foreign coach for the team.
Speaking on who should lead the team Clemens Westerhof, who was coach of the team from 1989 to 1994, and also led them to AFCON glory in 1994 says the job should be handed to his former player Samson Siasia, who has twice handled the team in the past.
” My preference is Samson Siasia. He should be given the job and preferably get him a Dutch assistant. The Super Eagles style is very similar to the way the Dutch team plays. That’s the identity and Siasia can make them play that way”, the soon to be 84 year old said.
However Siasia cannot be in the running for the job, because of his five years suspension by FIFA, which is still on till August 2024, and Nigeria need a coach to be at the helm in July when the qualifiers for the 2026 world cup qualifiers resumes.
Siasia was banned after being found guilty of accepting an offer to receive bribes to alter the outcome of matches.
Westerhof went further to lament the team’s style of play at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished second losing 1-2 to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the tournament in February.
” I didn’t like recognize my team anymore. That’s not how the Super Eagles play so it’s a blessing that the coach (Peseiro) is no longer at the helm. That was ultra defensive and shameful for Nigeria to play like that”, he said.
