Fans to vote on fate of Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro

The 63-year-old Peseiro has won four and lost five matches in charge of the Super Eagles.

FILE PHOTO: Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro during the Portugal v Nigeria game at Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon | Photo Credit: Rodrigo Antunes/ REUTERS

Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Gusau says fans will decide the future of Jose Peseiro as the country’s coach.

Peseiro’s one-year contract runs out on June 30.

Gusau said the NFF would organise a special poll for supporters to decide if the 63-year-old Peseiro, who has won four and lost five matches in charge of the Super Eagles, stays or goes.

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“We have the plan to push the votes to Nigerians to hear their views and thoughts,” Gusau told a Nigerian radio show on Saturday.

“We’ve tried the foreign coaches and also the local coaches.”

“Maybe we didn’t get it right in the area of getting the right person. We are going to push it to the public, whether we should continue with Peseiro or he should go,” he said.

The poll to be conducted via telephone will generate much-needed funds for the NFF, who are facing a financial crisis that has meant they owe the Eagles coach several months’ pay.

Peseiro is on a monthly salary of $70,000.

He has qualified Nigeria for the 2023 African Cup of Nations following a 3-2 win away against Sierra Leone this month.

However, Nigerians are not convinced he is the man to lead the country to continental glory at the Nations Cup next year in the Ivory Coast.

His team selections have been questioned, the three-time African champions still rely on the individual brilliance of top stars Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze, and he has lost more matches than he has won.

Former international Kadiri Ikhana, who led Enyimba FC to win the 2003 CAF Champions League, said Peseiro has not made any impact on the Super Eagles this past year.

“The boys still play individually, there is no tactical play in this team,” Ikhana commented.

“The credit for the qualification to the Nations Cup should go to the players, not the coach.

“A Nigerian coach should be in charge of the team.”

Another ex-international Victor Ezeji argued that Peseiro should be allowed to lead the team to the Africa Cup in January and after which his fate should be decided.

“The man should be given a short-term contract after he qualified us for the AFCON,” he said.

“Let him lead us to the AFCON and then we decide his future after that.”