By John Essien
Former Africa Footballer of the Year Emmanuel Amuneke will be drafted into the Super Eagles’ technical crew led by Interim Manager Augustine Eguavoen ahead of their two legged World Cup play-off against Ghana in March.
According to reports, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) appears to have pulled the plug on plans to engage Portuguese Coach Jose Peseiro, who rejected some clauses in his contract papers.
And in what would see Eguavoen retain his position in the team, it has been indicated that Amuneke, a former under 17 Coach will join the 55-year-old at the dugout to offer assistance to the technical crew which already has Salisu Yusuf.
Nigeria produced a bright start to the Africa Cup of Nations campaign, finishing the preliminary stage with a perfect win record, including a 1-0 victory over seven-time champions Egypt in the opening fixture.
However, a shock 1-0 defeat to a covid-19 stricken Tunisian side brought their AFCON journey to an early end after they crashed out of the last 16.
In the wake of the Eagles’ disappointing exit, OwnGoalNigeria confirmed through a source that the NFF have decided to hire the World Cup winning Coach to offer assistance to Eguavoen.
Amuneke boast of an impressive Managerial CV, which include an under 17 World Cup triumph in 2015 and qualifying Tanzania for their first-ever AFCON in Egypt three years later.
The 51-year-old is expected to bring his wealth of experience to the team’s coaching crew as preparation gets underway for their crucial Qatar 2022 World Cup play-off against arch-rival Ghana.
The decision will also hand the Super Eagles trio of Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze and Kelechi Nwakali an opportunity to reunite with their former boss seven years after their historic World Cup triumph.
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