Newly-appointed Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro expressed his pride after being chosen for the job, adding he would work his socks off to ensure that Nigeria win her long-awaited fourth Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
AFCON winners in 1980, 1994 and 2013, the Super Eagles have laboured without success with Austin Eguavoen –led technical crew sent packing in the Second Round at the most recent edition in Cameroon.
Following the Super Eagles failed bid to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced the 62-year-old Portuguese as the new national team manager as replacement for Eguavoen who served in interim capacity after German Gernot Rohr was fired last December.
Former PSG manager, Laurent Blanc, Ernesto Valverde, formerly with Barcelona, and Toni Conceicao were also candidates considered in taking over the vacant Super Eagles managerial role.
However, the NFF decided to hire the former Porto manager for his wide and varied experience coaching clubs and national teams across four different continents, namely Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
The Portuguese is expected to lead Nigeria to the 2023 AFCON in Cote D’Ivoire but will first face a qualifying stage against Sierra Leone, Mauritius and Guinea Bissau.
But first, he is expected to join the team in the United States for their Friendly games against Mexico and Ecuador before selecting a squad of final 25 for the qualifying games.
In a tweet on his official handle, the former Venezuela national team coach said he will work to make Nigeria African champions for the fourth time.
“Pride!” Peseiro wrote on twitter. “It is with great pride and joy that I am the coach of one of the greatest football nations in the world.
“Commanding the Super Eagles starts with knowing how to respect history, value it and be inspired by its roots.”
He added: “Over 200 million Nigerians, from all states and ethnicities, want the same thing: success.
“We will work with great ambition, so that in the end we can finally call Nigeria the “four-time African champions!”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
