Peseiro turns down new contract, tips Osimhen to wreck Cameroon

Super Eagles Coach, Jose Peseiro, has revealed that he recently turned down a contract renewal proposed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) because he wanted to wait until after the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria on Monday beat Guinea Bissau 1-0 to qualify for the second round of the AFCON, where they will meet Cameroon on Saturday.

NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, told The Guardian shortly before the beginning of the AFCON that the federation would decide Peseiro’s fate after the championship, adding that the Portuguese must meet certain conditions before he is given a new deal.

Peseiro told SportTv+ that he has read so many misleading stories about his stay in Nigeria, adding that such stories have been latched onto by European media to paint the wrong picture.

He said: “There are many difficulties, but I have never exposed them, and I will not expose them. There is so much misleading information.

“Will I continue leading the team? I have a contract until the end of the AFCON, they already proposed renewal, but I didn’t want it.”

Peseiro got a new contract on a reduced salary (from $70,000 to $50,000) in September, which ends after the AFCON.

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles manager has tipped African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen, to wreck Cameroon when his team meets the Indomitable Lions on Saturday.

Osimhen has been criticised for failing to convert chances the Eagles created in Nigeria’s three group games at the ongoing AFCON, but Peseiro reassured Nigerians that the Napoli star would come good on Saturday.

He said: “For our next match, Osimhen will score; he’s important for the team. He’s the top scorer, but this is a different tournament and tough competition. He deserves to reach the top position because against Equatorial Guinea, he created so many chances and he scored.

“Did Equatorial Guinea beat us? No, we shared the point, and I know we will beat them next time because it’s not easy in this competition.”