Nigeria Appoints Jose Peseiro As Head Coach

Former Porto and Sporting Lisbon boss Jose Peseiro has reached agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation on terms to take charge of the national team.

Last August, Jose Peseiro resigned from the Venezuela job because of unpaid wages.

Meanwhile, he was previously appointed as Nigeria coach in December and was expected to take over the Super Eagles after the Africa Cup of Nations.

In February after their exit from the tournament, the former Sporting Lisbon boss rejected Nigeria citing disagreements over contractual clauses and financial matters.

However the 62-year-old will now finalise a deal before Nigeria play two friendlies in the United States later this month after the Portuguese trainer headhunted by NFF president Amaju Pinnick.

“It’s important to reiterate that a deal has been agreed with Mr Peseiro and he will sign his contract before our friendly against Mexico on 28 May,” NFF’s director of communications, Ademola Olajire, told BBC Sport Africa.

“The Super Eagles is heading into a new phase and the arrival of a new coach is very important for this process.”

The NFF, which has not given details about Peseiro’s contract, verified former Nigeria transnational Finidi George will be first adjunct to Peseiro.

Salisu Yusuf will be second assistant, as well as head trainer of Nigeria’s Chan (for locally-based players) and under-23 teams.

Peseiro is set to take over against World Cup-bound Mexico on 28 May in Texas, with a match against Ecuador following on 2 June in New Jersey.

Nigeria will also play their first two qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, hosting Sierra Leone behind unrestricted doors in Abuja on 9 June in their opening group A game and also facing Mauritius four days latterly.

Peseiro takes over a team that struggled and came under intense criticism after being knocked out in the last 16 at the delayed 2021 Nations Cup, and subsequently failed to reach the 2022 World Cup under interim boss Augustine Eguavoen.