After their forced landing in Ivory Coast, finishing in second place after losing to the host in the AFCON 2024 final, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have returned home. Although disappointed to see their hopes of another continental conquest shattered, the nation still gave them a hero’s welcome. President Bola Tinubu hosted them at the presidential villa and awarded them the title of Member of the Order of Nigeria (MON) and other benefits.
The AFCON chapter was closed, but the book remains open. Nigeria’s self-declared 200 million coaches are now conducting a post-mortem, making recommendations for the future. They have put several of them forward, but three are particularly striking and may determine the actions of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). They include:
1. Sack Jose Peseiro: He may have taken Nigeria to another AFCON final after 11 years since its last appearance in one, but many remain unconvinced about the managerial abilities of Jose Peseiro. They do not think that the Portuguese can lead the country to glory and are calling for his immediate replacement. To buttress the claim, they point to the Super Eagles’ impotent display in the final, despite the array of talents lined up. As far as they are concerned, Nigeria has incredible players, an amazing support base, including meme-lords, but lacks the coach with the ability to combine these for success.
2. Select more local players: Stanley Nwabali’s heroism and valiant efforts reinforced an important point: that when given the chance, football players plying their trade in Nigeria and the African continent can compete with their European-based counterparts. Iwobi’s struggles, despite playing in the English top-flight league, also reinforce the point. Nigerians want to see more Nwabalis and fewer of the flashy ‘foreign-based’ players who fail to inspire.
3. Play more friendlies: Nigeria received applause for playing fluid football at the tournament and attacking with more guts, unlike what previously obtained. But certain frictions were observed which were attributed to the lack of familiarity among the players. A few days of training are not enough to make a well-glued team out of an assortment of players selected from different climates and leagues. The team needs to play more friendlies to improve team knowledge.
Will the NFF take these recommendations? Or should they? Two hundred million Nigerians are watching with their self-awarded coaching licenses.
