NFF boss Pinnick offers significant update on Peseiro ahead of World Cup playoff vs Ghana

Late December, the Nigeria Football Federation endorsed a proposal for the appointment of Jose Peseiro as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles following the end to the relationship with Gernot Rohr.

The Portuguese football tactician was expected to be in Cameroon to act the role of an observer but it is unclear if he was in attendance during Nigeria's matches at AFCON 2021.

Peseiro was originally scheduled to begin his tenure as Super Eagles manager immediately after Nigeria's exit from the Africa Cup on Nations but nothing has been signed yet because the Nigerian Federation are continuing discussions and have not yet finalized an agreement with the 61-year-old.

Speaking to Channels Television,  Pinnick said : "The good news is that we did not sign the contract officially. We are still going back and forth because signing a contract is not just waking up and you sign a contract, you have to go through a lot of processes, and at a point it stalled that's why I said fortunately or unfortunately we did not sign the contract.

"I' still taking to him because he's a very senior coach, he's a very well respected coach. We have to look at recommendation, if for example he still has to wait until after the World Cup qualifiers.

"We have to look at what the nation wants at this time, what is best for the nation."

Despite the ongoing negotiations, Pinnick has sensationally revealed that Peseiro is free to take another job if he wants to.

"He has to wait, if in the course of his waiting he gets another job we wish him well but we are not going to rush and make a very hasty decision considering the circumstances.

"Like I said we respect him a lot and he came tops in the interview that was conducted so we revere him a lot but there are things that are beyond our control because we don't work alone, we work in harmony with the Ministry."

It is believed that Eguavoen, whose tactical naivety was exposed in the loss to Tunisia, is being backed by the Sports Minister to continue his role as Super Eagles coach on a permanent basis. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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