Local or foreign coach: Who should the NFF pursue after Peseiro’s departure?

The Super Eagles are without a coach following the expiration of Jose Peseiro’s contract, and the NFF have to get started replacement 

Portuguese tactician Jose Peseiro announced that he has left his position as Super Eagles coach following the expiration of his contract with the Nigeria Football Federation, Soccernet.ng reports.

The expiration of his deal ended a two-year stint with Nigeria, which saw him register eleven wins, four draws, and seven losses. He also helped the Super Eagles to a second-place finish for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Now that both parties have parted ways, the NFF have to appoint a new coach. But one of the first decisions the NFF has to make is whether to employ an Indigenous coach or a foreign one.

Currently, Nigeria have quite a few decent coaches who could handle the job, like Augustine Eguavoen, Finidi George, and Emmanuel Amunike.

However, over the years, some NFF boards have shown a preference for foreign coaches, hence the appointment of the likes of Peseiro, Lars Lagerback, Berti Vorgts, and others.

Now, they have to make that decision. They have to take into context some of the peculiarities surrounding the options available.

Chief of the issues that the NFF has to look at is funding. The NFF are notorious for owing salaries. During Peseiro’s time as coach, he was owed. Also, Gernot Rohr had to drag Nigeria to FIFA to get his pay, and it is not just the male team. Even the Super Falcons coach, Randy Waldrum, has experienced the same predicament.

Obviously, a foreign coach would be more expensive than a local coach. So, it would be easier and more affordable for the NFF to employ a local coach.

Foreign coaches have not exactly brought much silverware to Nigeria in recent years, so why employ a foreign manager?

Also, foreign coaches have a knack for neglecting the home-based league. A big example was the goalkeeper crisis that the Super Eagles was facing before the AFCON. Peseiro refused to try one of the NPFL players an opportunity until he eventually discovered Stanley Nwabali, who himself had just left the NPFL two years ago.

However, a local coach would pay more attention to home-based talents and give them more opportunities. Late Stephen Keshi tried it in 2013, and it worked for him.

On the other hand, most of the local coaches have not exactly covered themselves in glory. The last Nigerian coach, Sunday Oliseh, left the job under controversial circumstances, and that left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Augustine Eguavoen has been trial and error in all his stints as Super Eagles coach, and Emmanuel Amunike does not have much experience aside from the Golden Eaglets and Tanzania.

Still, it could be a good gamble for Nigeria, considering the success that Senegal had with Aliou Cisse as their coach.

The NFF have a big task on their hands, and a mistake would be costly at this point. They must decide whether to leave Eguavoen there as the permanent manager or get someone else.