The union between the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and former Barcelona forward Emmanuel Amuneke remains strained, despite Finidi George’s exit as Super Eagles head coach, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 53-year-old Amuneke was initially poised to succeed Portuguese tactician Jose Peseiro as the head coach of the Nigerian national team, but Finidi George was ultimately selected for the role.
Amuneke has accused certain NFF officials of spreading misleading reports about him in the media to tarnish his reputation and justify his exclusion from the head coach position.
“They succeeded in smearing my name in the media because of the Eagles job,” Amuneke told Punch. “They can continue with their propaganda, but I will remain disciplined. It’s not a do-or-die job. All those allegations made online because of the Eagles job are obviously not true, but those who recommended candidates for the job know I will not be easily bullied. I know there is still bad blood with these officials, but it’s fine.”
Soccernet.ng understands that Amuneke would have been the ideal candidate to take over from Finidi George if he had not criticized the NFF for bypassing him for the Super Eagles job.
As a result, he is unlikely to be considered for the role, with names like Antonio Conceicao, Salisu Yusuf, and Samson Siasia now being tabled for consideration.
Bayer Leverkusen manager, Xabi Alonso, has raised uncertainty over the return of Super Eagles forward,… Read More