Former Barcelona winger Emmanuel Amunike may have won the race for the head coach position of the Super Eagles, Soccernet.ng reports.
According to reports, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has decided to go with Amunike as the substantive head coach of the national team.
An official announcement is being awaited from the NFF, although the Sports Ministry has given the football body two weeks to name a successor to Jose Peseiro.
It is believed that Enyimba FC manager George Finidi will remain as one of the assistants of the new Super Eagles head coach, a role he held with distinction under Peseiro.
If the reports are true, the Super Eagles head coach role will be the biggest challenge Amunike has had to handle.
The former Zamalek and Sporting Lisbon winger excelled as coach of the Golden Eaglets, leading the Nigeria U17 national team to win the FIFA U17 World Cup.
Amunike also impressed as head coach of the Tanzanian national team, guiding the Taifa Stars to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations – their first in nearly forty years.
However, Amunike's record with Egypt's Misr Lel Makkasa and Zambia's Zanaco left much to be desired.
The 53-year-old coach also fumbled when placed in charge of the Flying Eagles, failing to help the Nigeria U20 team qualify for the AFCON in 2017.
Aside from Amunike, USA U20 national team coach Michael Nsien, former Manchester City assistant manager Domenec Torrent, and Fortuna Sittard coach Danny Bruijs were all running to become the Super Eagles head coach.
NB: Can Emmanuel Amunike lead the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Leave your comments below.
Disssasterrrr, how you go appoint amunike , the man who failed than failure , Nigeria is going no where with amuneke he is the worst coach ever failed with all the club’s he coached except golden eglets and Tanzania even at Tanzania he won just two games , Nigeria should not make the same mistake twice just like the case of Tinubu everyone are clamouring for local coach then super eagles no go anywhere even afcon no sure , Nigerians won’t check proven track records they will always go for the bad egggs. Amuneke is here to jeopardize everything the other coaches have worked for and this must not happen
All the the white or pink coloured coaches we have been appointing, what have been there qualifications or achievements that warranted Nigeria giving them the position? Abeg, let Amunike be. The NFF should pay him the $70,000 they were paying former white coach for doing nothing and let’s see the wonders of the Nigerian spirit. My fear is, the beneficiaries of the awkward and ignoble regime that have been imposing incompetent coaches on the country all these years are still around. We all saw what the local African coaches did in the last World cup and Afcon. We have not forgotten that our last white coach was said to have been imposed on the nation by a single person without passing through the technical committee despite his abysmal track records.
I prefer our local coaches more than the foreign ones. This is because no matter how good a white coach is,there will still be that racial sentiment hovering around him. But an indigenous coach will take it with all his mind to make his country team do well. So its congrats to Amunike. If we all give him our unquenchable support, he will succeed. God bless Nigeria.
What about foreign coach. That will be better after all The big bosses don’t want to make mistake of not qualifying for the world cup.
Let us start trusting our own. We have been paying for colours all these years. Give Amuneke the job and gibe him time. Afterall Amaju picnicking gave Gernot Rohr 6 years without achieving anything. So Let us give our own the time too. We still suffer from colonial mentality in this continent with all these job man white coaches we always hire.
My brothers from Nigeria Don’t let NFF off the hook When and if Amunike fails the whole NFF should be purged because they are they can be bought and sold with no principle and I hate to say this the Supper Eagle won’t qualify for 2026
Another world cup mis.
That is the correct decision to be made!
Amunike is one of Nigeria coach that good for super eagle, I am happy for him.
All of you against your own… You know he is qualified… He will not fail !!!
You will come back to chew your words… Mark this comment!!
Amen
Poor human managerial skills and a bit of nepotism cost Finidi this job opportunity, and cleared the way for Amunike!!! If Amunike knows how to work with our boys managerially and in an unbiased manner, we have the players who can shake the world in the game of football! Best wishes Amunike
Amunike will not be able to manage the big boys. remember there is already cold war between him and osinhen when it was discovered that he voted for Mo Salah as Africa best though he denied it. Tgif he failed with u20 etc how can he handle boys who can pay him his contract fee plus benefits with just a week wage in their clubs? . No made in Nigeria coach can handle the boys for now, we must go foreign.
Looking forward to Nigeria appointing Amunike.
This inferiority complex that we have that hiring an Oyibo coach needs to come to an end. It is not benefiting us! There is absolutely no written rule that says Oyibo coaches or Foreign coaches are better. Stop the colonial mindset and educate yourselves.
I hope that they give Amunike time to develop the team and find the RIGHT people. Certainly, we have better talent in a country of over 200 million people than what we currently have fielded.
Thank you and thank you
Please the decision of the NFF is unanimous, so it is ok. Remember, 1 team will win and another will lose. If the Super Eagles did not qualify, don’t blame the coach if the best team was played during matches. If teams win matches, the coaches will receive praises and if they failed to qualify, people blame the coach. It is normal, all Nigerians can do is pray for the team.
Look at Ivory Coast, they win the final at AFCON 2024 with a local coach. Let us be optimistic and pray for Amunike to to the best for the country.
All of u talking about local
But they haven’t prove to us yet
How capable they are to a Senior national team
Wetin I no make naija sha qualify for worldcup
If paraventure Amunike is pick as the Super Eagles coach forget about one Nigeria once and for all because he is an original igbo origin and he will Biafralise Super Eagles. He is suffering from tribalistic mentality and so he is tribalism bigot.
Yea, listen to all the comments some people have made, I believe it is their opinions but what we should know is that right from time the time past the white man coaches we have been hiring have not got good records before engagement here and while with us they could not do any magic. To me I believe selecting Coach Amunike is a good one and with Finidi assistance they will do well, let us forget Nigeria politics but mind you work environment is most important. I will appeal to our NFF to please pay them good salary and as when due. You will not send somebody to work when he is hungry even the entire family., it will not work like that. Also Amunike have a track record as a player, under 17 (Gloden Eglet) coach and Tanzania National Team, let’s do away with favouritism even most of our people do not believe in any Nigerian player/team.
The problem we are having as Nigerians is unbelieve, let us start believing the project called Nigeria, and we will start doing well and getting positive results. Thanks.
Hopefully Amunike succceed the team.He is golden generation of super eagle.God blessed
Our own is our own! When Keshi was supported he delivered. When Keshi was broken by the NFF he died! A word is enough for wisdom to prevail.
As Nigerians,we should learn to honour our products from our local factories, our professionals in every field,including footballers and coaches. Why wouldn’t Amunike handle Super Eagles? We have top Nigerian footballers that have made us proud locally and internationally. Is it being a coach that is difficult. Let’s give Amunike the opportunity. Besides he is not playing but the coach who will plan. What if he plans well but the players failed? Let’s not look for foreign Coaches anymore
Amen