Jose Peseiro is one of a few non-Nigerians to be bestowed with the prestigious Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).
The MON is one of the highest honours Nigeria can confer on its citizens – and sometimes friends of the country – who have rendered service to the benefit of the nation.
In his wisdom, President Bola Tinubu was convinced that Peseiro had done enough to merit a national decoration after the Portuguese coach guided the Super Eagles to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ironically, Peseiro came close to getting the sack on the eve of the AFCON following a string of poor results.
The former Porto manager led the Super Eagles to consecutive draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in the first two World Cup qualifiers in November.
Only the NFF's financial constraints stopped the football body from showing Peseiro the door, as revealed by Nse Essien, a board member of the NFF.
Essien said at the time: “If you check the internet, almost everyone is asking for the sack of the head coach. It is unfortunate that out of six points, we have just two, and we have found ourselves in a precarious situation.”
However, events turn in Peseiro's favour at the AFCON in Cote d'Ivoire.
After seeing the Super Eagles struggle to a 1-1 draw in their opening match against Equatorial Guinea, Peseiro changed the team's setup and led them to the AFCON final on the back of five consecutive victories.
Despite playing against hosts Cote d'Ivoire in that title decider, the Super Eagles were the slight favourites to claim a win, having beaten the Elephants earlier in the tournament.
Nigeria were, however, out-thought, outfought, and outitted by the hosts to lose 2-1 despite taking the lead through Player of the Tournament, William Troost-Ekong.
Still, on the team's return to Nigeria, President Tinubu hosted them at a state dinner in Abuja, where he handed Peseiro and the boys the MON honours.
Peseiro was also given a house and land in the Federal Capital City.
For a coach with only one major title – the Taça da Liga he won with Braga in 2013 – to show in his 32-year coaching career, his reward for finishing second at the AFCON is the most significant of his life.
It is unarguably the biggest compensation the Nigerian state has ever offered to any coach – indigenous or foreign – who led any of the national teams to a runner-up spot at a major tournament.
Jo Bonfrère, the last foreigner to secure a silver medal for Nigeria at the AFCON, did not receive more than a presidential handshake from the then-President Olusegun Obasanjo after the Super Eagles lost on penalties to Cameroon at the year 2000 edition.
This has raised questions about whether Peseiro was overcompensated for his troubles in Cote d'Ivoire.
For 1980 AFCON winner Segun Odegbami, Peseiro received more than he deserved for his tactical input, tagging it the ‘most generous gift in the history of football'.
“The country has been very generous and grateful to him (Peseiro) for the service he rendered specifically during AFCON 2023, which took us to the final match,” Odegbami wrote in his column in the Complete Sports.
“He has been rewarded beyond whatever contributions he made to the country’s football. No other nation on earth would have given him a house, a land in Abuja, all the bonuses he collected, and a National Honour, for coming second in a championship.
“It must be the most generous gift in the history of football in the world. He should go, leave Nigerian football alone, and enjoy the largesse.”
Despite President Tinubu's generosity, Peseiro announced he would no longer continue as head coach of the Super Eagles on March 1.
Augustine Eguavoen, head of the NFF's Technical Department, will take charge of the team in an interim capacity until a substantive coach is hired.
N.B: Was Jose Peseiro overcompensated for leading Nigeria's Super Eagles to a second-place finish at AFCON 2023? Leave your comments below.
Black / Nigerian inferiority complex?!! Tinubu should have appointed the Portuguese white man Nigeria’s Vice President as well!
Sensationalism has killed journalism!
so,you expect the president to give all the players, including those that were on the bench all through the tournament houses and award and he should sideline the coach?
the question should be ; was the national team overcompensated for the second position?
And as for Chief Odegbami, he should direct his anger to the president or better still, go collect the award from the coach..
You guys keep saying he quit. No, he didn’t quit. Good contract expired and wasn’t renewed. Simple.
He doesn’t deserve those gift because it is very sure He can’t be forever be Nigerian coach. Thou He can be honour with an award that amount to some money. There is nothing special for a coach to win a tournament he paid for. Moreover is not an indigenous coach. Far from the gift
I agree that he is over compensated. There was no need for the MON and the house in Abuja. After all, he is being paid to do what he did.
That the players received those gifts is not out of place because, I don’t think that apart from their match bonuses they receive any payment from the football body for their efforts. So those largesse are their share of whatever money price that’s attached to the silver medal.
For the coach however, I feel he is over compensated because he only did what he was paid to do. If the players were eliminated during the group stages, they would have each gone back to their clubs and the reward they’ll get would have been criticisms from both the Naija football fans and the NFF but for the coach, though he may be fired but will receive his full salary