While looking for a new Super Eagles coach, Nigeria Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick revealed that they spoke with AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho.
Pinnink made the announcement during a press conference with sports journalists in Lagos on December 22. He stated that the Super Eagles would have a new coach "within the next week or two," implying that interim coach Austin Eguavoen may not lead the team to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, which begins on January 9, 2022.
Pinnick claimed the NFF held negotiations with Serbian Mladen Krstajic and Jose Mourinho in their attempt to find a top-class coach for the national team. He also disclosed that Jose Peseiro, a former Real Madrid assistant and FC Porto head coach, was one of the three candidates for the Eagles' coaching job.
The President of the NFF stated;
"The new coach will place a strong focus on discipline. We'll look at his background in terms of discipline.
"Secondly, we'll look at how motivated he is to win trophies, because hunger overcomes a lot of obstacles, and if he wants to win, he'll instil discipline." We'll look into all of this, but I can't make any firm statements because I'd be undercutting my executive committee.
"Two, until my executive committee says this is the name within the next week or so, because the technical committee has to give their findings to the executive committee, this is the name." It will be a smooth transition to the present squad, which is led by Eguavoen.
"However, we have spoken to three outstanding coaches, one of which is Peseiro, whose name has been circulating, and I can assure you that he is a top coach."
"We also spoke with Mladen (Krstajic), but after speaking with him, he accepted a position with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a top Israeli team." You can see that these are coaches who are hungry and ready to make Nigeria their home; these are people who we know are up to the task of dealing with Nigeria's 200 million people.
"They're coaches who the players can't be bigger than, and I believe we're doing everything we can, which is why we work with the ministry on a daily basis."
"Of course Mourinho, I'm not going to say you we didn't speak to him because we did, and the (sports) minister also spoke to him, and there's nothing wrong with that."
Pinnick, on the other hand, has refused to divulge the Eagles' AFCON coach. He stated,
"If the coach agrees to give us the Nations Cup, he will be called up right now." I'm not going to warn you it'll be later because what is the point of recruiting? What are we waiting for if the executive committee says yes and we are prepared?
"On Tuesday, when I spoke with one of the coaches, he was already scouting our players and telling me stuff about them that I didn't know." It was pretty remarkable, and he surprised me by telling me about each player's strength. We're not going to do anything new, and if he can win the Nations Cup, that'll be OK.
"Eguavoen can do it, but we'd like someone who can do it better." We will work with the present club if we are unable to sign him shortly. But I'm not going to tell you that if we sign him today, he won't be the team's captain in the AFCON."
