A new name has emerged as one of the favourite to be named the new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria following the exit of Jose Peseiro upon the expiration of his contract as coach of the team, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclude report.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will tomorrow screened shortlisted candidates for the job, and per what we exclusively gathered three foreign coaches are currently leading the race to be named as coach of the team.
Former coach of the senior national team of Cameroon Toni Conceição is said to be highly regarded and favoured in some quarters, but Spanish coach Domenec Torrent has the backing of a very respected member of the board.
Last week the entire episode took a twist with the name of Dutchman Danny Buijs now an option pushed by a highly influential football administrator. The idea appears to be gaining ground among members of the board of the NFF.
Buijs is currently the head coach of 11th place Dutch Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard, he has managed a couple of teams before joining his present team where he is earning praises for their current position on the table.
The 41 year old is a former player who didn’t have that much success making him to move into coaching at a very young age. He holds a UEFA Pro coaching license which is required by CAF for coaches not in possession of CAF A coaching license.
A member of the board who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity said Buijs is willing to leave his role as coach of the Dutch side at the end of the season to take over as coach of the Super Eagles, and he is well within their budget.
He further said, his age is a huge catch as he is the youngest among the coaches who applied but has similar qualifications and qualities like most of them. His only problem is his lack of international exposure and knowledge of African football.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
