Technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Augustine Eguavoen, has distanced himself from recent reports linking him to the Super Eagles head coach role ahead of the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, Footynaija.com reports.
Eguavoen is no stranger to managing the Super Eagles, having previously taken interim charge of Nigeria’s senior national team on a number of occasions in the past.
The 60-year-old first served as Nigeria’s caretaker coach in 2005, leading the Super Eagles to a bronze medal at the 2006 AFCON in Egypt before being sacked.
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He returned for a brief spell in 2010 and was reappointed interim manager in December 2021 for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote D’Ivoire after Gernot Rohr’s exit.
So it came as little surprise to many when rumours began to surface about his imminent takeover of the national team in the event that current head coach Eric Chelle fails to qualify the three-time African champions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, Eguavoen has come out to dismiss such reports, labelling them baseless and hurtful before going on to reaffirm his support for Nigeria’s incumbent head coach.
What Augustine Eguavoen said
“I feel very hurt by these baseless rumours because I really have no idea where they are coming from,” Eguavoen said in an NFF statement on Thursday.
“I have a very good working relationship with Coach Eric Chelle. And I have absolutely no interest in taking over the squad. I am praying for him to succeed.
“This was how the same speculators created schism and disaffection between myself and Gernot Rohr and Jose Peseiro, when these gentlemen coached the Super Eagles, at different periods. It is uncalled-for.
“We all need to work together to see the Super Eagles qualify for the World Cup and win the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations championship in Morocco.”
Eguavoen’s backing comes at a crucial time for Eric Chelle, who has come under immense scrutiny due to the Super Eagles’ current predicament in the ongoing qualification campaign.
Any result other than two victories from the upcoming games against Lesotho and Benin will effectively end whatever slight chance the Super Eagles have of making it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
