José Santos Peseiro is the new Head Coach of the Nigeria’s senior men national football team, Super Eagles.
In an announcement earlier today, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said the appointment is with immediate effect, subject to the signing of agreed terms between both parties.
José Vitor dos Santos Peseiro, a 62-year-old Portuguese, played as a striker in his days and has wide and varied experience coaching several clubs and national teams across four different continents – Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
An educationist with a degree in Physical Education/Sports Sciences, Peseiro has coached at Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto, Panathinaikos, Rapid Bucharest, Sporting Braga, Victoria Gumaraes, Al-Hilal, Al-Wahda, Al-Ahly Cairo, Sharjah FC and Real Madrid (assistant coach during the Galácticos era), as well as serving as Head Coach of the Saudi Arabian and Venezuelan national teams.
Peseiro is expected to lead out the Super Eagles for the first time during the upcoming tour of the United States of America, when the three-time African champions will slug it out with Mexico and Ecuador ‘A’ Teams in prestige friendlies.
The Eagles will tango with the Mexicans at the AT & T Stadium in Dallas, State of Texas on Saturday, 28th May before flying to New Jersey to confront Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison on Thursday, 2nd June.
The NFF also announced that former Nigeria international forward, Finidi George will now be First Assistant to Peseiro, with Salisu Yusuf now to be Second Assistant as well as Head Coach of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and U23 national teams.
Usman Abdallah is Third Assistant, while Eboboritse Uwejamomere will be the Match Analyst and another former Nigeria international, Ike Shorounmu will be the Goalkeepers’ Trainer.
Nigeria have not had a substantive coach since Franco-German Gernot Rohr was relieved of his appointment last 12th December, about a month to the commencement of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which was postponed to this year.
Former national team defender Augustine Eguavoen was then appointed in interim capacity and got the Super Eagles to win all their three group matches of AFCON 2021 only to crash out at the first knockout stage to Tunisia 0-1.
