Amuneke is not desperate to Coach Eagles as Pinnick canvasses for Finidi’s appointment

1996 Olympic gold medalist, Emmanuel Amuneke, has said that although he would love to coach the Super Eagles if given the opportunity, he was not desperate for the job.

Amuneke, a former Super Eagles player, said this while addressing newsmen in Owerri on Tuesday.

The former Nigeria U-17 national team coach and former coach of the Tanzania national team said the job of coaching Nigeria’s national team should be given on merit and to whoever has the interest of football and Nigeria at heart.

The Spain-based former striker, who played for Sporting Lisbon football club in Portugal and Barcelona football club, expressed confidence that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) would eventually appoint the ideal coach for the Super Eagles top job.

He said that with a plethora of Nigerian talents scattered across the globe, a lot of professional capacity, technical expertise, and consultation would be required to harness the talents, combine them, and achieve the needed balance.

 “The Super Eagles’ upcoming World Cup qualification matches against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa and their counterparts from the Benin Republic would necessitate the appointment of a substantive coach who would also need some time to put the house for best results.

“I am not desperate to be Super Eagles coach, though I nurse the ambition to coach.

“If I have the opportunity to serve my fatherland, I will accept it and deliver my all,” he said.

Meanwhile, former president of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick, has thrown his weight behind ex-international, Finidi George, to become the next coach of the Super Eagles.

Finidi is among the frontrunners for the vacant position left by Portuguese Coach Jose Peseiro, following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

The Nigeria Football Federation is expected to name a new coach for the team in no distant time, and the former NFF boss believes Finidi fits the bill.

“A player that was once regarded as one of the best wingers in the world. A player who played and like interned under one of the best coaches in the world Louis Van Gaal. At Real Betis he was excellent. At Ajax, if you know Ajax, you should know that they believe in developmental football. So, he has all the qualities. So, what do we need? This is my strong personal opinion,” Pinnick said on Arise TV.

Finidi, who worked as an assistant with  Peseiro, was appointed on an interim basis by the NFF to handle the team in recent international friendlies against West African rivals Ghana and Mali during the last FIFA break.

The 52-year-old won against Ghana and lost to Mali in what was regarded as an audition for him.

“He played two friendlies; he lost one against Mali amid a negative history and won amid a positive history against Ghana. He doesn’t have to be reckoned with but he is a strong personality. And I’m sure Finidi will surprise us. I’ve seen it, I’ve worked with him, as president, and I brought him up as one of the assistant coaches. He has qualities like leadership, dexterity, and most importantly humility.

“So, if we have someone who has played under some of the best coaches in the world and also coached at that level, also coaching the most successful club in Nigeria, I think we should build capacity around him,” Pinnick added.

Aside from Finidi, a host of aspirants have been linked with the Super Eagles job and what remains to be seen is how soon the NFF will make an announcement, preparatory to the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in June.

Other candidates that have expressed interest in the job include US men’s U-19 coach Michael Nsien, 1994 AFCON winner and former Golden Eaglets and Tanzania coach Emmanuel Amuneke, Ndubuisi Egbo, Henry Makinwa, Sylvanus Okpala, Daniel Amokachi among other foreigners.