Announce Super Eagles substantive coach now, Chukwu tells NFF

Former Super Eagles Coach, Christian Chukwu, has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to name and empower the senior national team’s substantial coach immediately, adding that the new manager should by now start preparing form the country’s Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifier against Ghana.

Nigeria will meet Ghana in the last phase of the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying series in March and Chukwu cautions that the new manager must be given enough time to meet the players and plan for the two matches against the Black Stars.

Chukwu, who blamed Nigeria’s failure at the ongoing Cameroun 2022 Africa Cup of Nations on the little time Coach Augustine Eguavoen had to work with his team, said the NFF should settle the Eagles’ coach issue to avoid the same mistakes in the World Cup final qualifying games.

He said: “Everybody should forget about the AFCON and focus on World Cup qualifiers against Ghana. For me, I think Eguavoen should be allowed to continue with the Super Eagles. However, if the NFF still wants to change coaches after the World Cup qualifiers, it is left for the Federation.”

“Eguavoen has already started working with the Eagles and understands the players to a certain extent and bringing in another coach now will destabilise the team. The new coach will come with his own ideas, which could take the players time to understand.”

Chukwu said the “NFF should act fast by either announcing the new coach and empowering him or tell Eguavoen to go on with the team.

“March is around the corner and any coach taking charge of the Super Eagles need enough time to draft his strategy and pick the players for the game.”