Nigeria contacts Wenger, Mourinho for Super Eagles job

Nigeria has deepened its search for a new coach for the Super Eagles. The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, revealed in Lagos that he held consultation with Jose Mourinho of Portugal, former Chelsea Coach, and Arsene Wenger of France, former Arsenal coach for Nigerian Super Eagles.

Pinnick promised that the NFF will hire a coach that is “hungry” and “ready for the challenge” of handling the Super Eagles. The NFF relieved Gernot Rohr of his appointment after a series of poor performances.

According to Pinnick: “I also spoke with Arsene. Arsene is our technical director at FIFA. I had an interface with him about some of these coaches. And of course [we spoke to] Mourinho. I am not going to tell you that we did not speak to Mourinho.

“These are some of the best coaches in the world. And there is nothing wrong with it because he [Wenger] is equally concerned just the way we are.”

Pinnick added that the NFF also contacted a former Real Madrid Assistant Coach and FC Porto Head Coach, Jose Peseiro; Serbian Mladen Krstajic. He maintained that the Federation will adhere to the stipulated process of hiring a new manager for the Super Eagles.

Pinnick stated: “The emphasis on the new coach is discipline. We will look at his antecedents on discipline.

“Secondly, we will also look at how hungry he is to win trophies because if they are hungry, it supersedes so many things and if he wants to win, he will instill discipline.

“We will look at all these things but I cannot make a pronouncement emphatically because I will be undermining my executive committee.

“So, until my executive committee comes out within the next week or so to say this is the name because the technical committee has to bring their presentation to the executive committee. It is going to be a seamless movement to the current team headed by Eguavoen.”