Super Eagles Coach, Jose Peseiro has revealed why he stayed on as coach of the Nigerian National Team despite the reduced salary offered to him in his new contract.
Peseiro said the players had encouraged him to stay with the team and win the upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in January 2024
Recall that the Portuguese coach was initially on a $70,000 per month salary which was reduced to $50,000 per month after the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had said they could no longer afford to retain the coach on the old salary and contract.
Peseiro said in an interview with Sky Sports that the players are convinced that they can put in the work required to win the AFCON
He is quoted as saying:
“The players pushed me to stay because they believe we can win (the AFCON).”
“We can win it. The players know it. They come with the same energy, the same belief, to fight for the Super Eagles.”
The 63-year-old had earlier in the week guided Nigeria to a 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia and a 3-2 win against Mozambique in friendly games to put the team in shape for the upcoming tournament.
Nigeria is drawn in the same group as hosts Cote D’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
Football buffs have tipped Nigeria to do very well in the tournament, primarily because the West African country is currently parading a lineup of the best African forward strikers in world football. The Nigerian team would be spoilt for choice amongst strikers like Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen), Terem Moffi (Nice) and Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest).
However, the defense and goalkeeping areas are not too convincing, with shaky performances from goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, who conceded “easy” goals during the friendlies.
