Segun Odegbami convinced Peseiro’s exit is good for Super Eagles
The contract of Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has come to an end, prompting discussions within the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) about whether to extend his tenure or seek a new coach.
Despite guiding the Super Eagles to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where they narrowly lost to Ivory Coast, Nigerian football icon Segun Odegbami has expressed doubts about Peseiro’s capabilities.
Odegbami questioned Peseiro’s performance, suggesting that the Portuguese coach may have reached his limit with the team and so should go.
Peseiro’s contract was set to expire at the end of February, but negotiations for a new deal with the NFF fell through. On March 1, Peseiro took to social media to announce the end of his tenure with Nigeria, expressing gratitude to the Super Eagles players and the NFF for their support.
Amidst the uncertainty surrounding Peseiro’s future, there are ongoing discussions about whether the NFF should seek a new coach or reconsider offering Peseiro an improved contract.
Odegbami, a Nigerian football legend, weighed in on the debate, suggesting that Peseiro’s achievements with the Super Eagles, particularly reaching the AFCON final, may not be sufficient. Odegbami emphasized the importance of Nigerian football aiming higher and expressed skepticism about Peseiro’s ability to lead the team to greater success.
For 22 months, he (Peseiro) did his best for Nigeria, but his best was obviously not good enough when the team was preparing to go for AFCON,” Odegbami told Arise TV.
“But through the four weeks of AFCON, there was relief because the team came up, started to do fairly well and got to the finals.
“He was handsomely rewarded in such a way that he created history. I don’t think any coach in the history of football has ever been that lavishly rewarded not for coming first, but for coming second.
“Peseiro insisted that his mandate was to get to the semi-final of the AFCON. For some of us, that was not good enough. Our dream for Nigerian football is to be among the best in the world.
“So, when you have someone whose ambition is to get to the semi-finals of an African cup, definitely he does not get to that mark.
“As far as we are concerned, he has done well, he has served the country, delivered on his own personal mandate, and has been handsomely rewarded. He should just take his largesse to his country and enjoy himself because for where we are heading, he can not deliver from what we saw at the AFCON,” the legendary Nigerian forward remarked.
