Antonio Conceicao: Former Cameroon boss battles Emmanuel Amunike for Super Eagles coaching job – report

Former Cameroon head coach Antonio Conceicao has thrown his hat into the ring, applying for the vacant managerial position of the Super Eagles, Soccernet.ng reports.

The move comes after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officially advertised the role in their quest for a new boss for the national team following Peseiro’s exit after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Former Nigeria international Emmanuel Amunike has submitted his application for the role and is widely believed to be a frontrunner.

The former Barcelona winger was recently endorsed by Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games gold medal-winning coach Jo Bonfrere.

However, it might not be a smooth ride for Amunike as Conceicao boasts an equally impressive CV as a player and coach.

Conceicao enjoyed a decent playing career as a right-back featuring for several top Portuguese clubs, including Braga and Porto, where he won the league title in 1990.

He started coaching in 1999 and has won Portugal’s second division title with two different teams.

Conceicao’s best coaching spell was in charge of Romanian giants CFR Cluj, whom he led to two league titles and four cup honours.

In 2019, the 62-year-old took on the job of a national team coach for the first time when Cameroon hired him to take charge of the Indomitable Lions.

Conceicao led Cameroon to a third-place finish at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, but he parted ways with the country’s football body in 2022.

Conceicao has been without a managerial role since stepping down from his position as Cameroon’s head coach.

Reports from Afrik-Foot reveal that Conceicao wants to be Jose Peseiro’s successor as he has applied for the Super Eagles coaching role.

Interestingly, Conceicao’s ambitions extend beyond the Super Eagles role, as the reports also suggest he is also eyeing a return to coaching Cameroon.

This comes in the wake of Rigobert Song’s departure as Cameroon’s head coach following the team’s Round of 16 elimination at the 2023 AFCON.

It is unlikely that Nigeria will hire a new head coach before the Super Eagles trade tackles with Ghana and Mali in international friendlies later this month.

However, a new boss is expected to be in place before the Super Eagles face South Africa in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June.