By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen has acknowledged the immense pressure that comes with managing the Super Eagles.
Eguavoen made the remarks after the unveiling of the new Super Eagles head coach, Eric Sekou Chelle, on Monday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, FCT.
The Super Eagles have been without a permanent coach since Finidi George resigned following disappointing results in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Eguavoen stepped in as interim head coach for the fourth time in August 2024 and successfully led Nigeria to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will take place in Morocco later this year.
With Chelle now appointed as the new head coach, Eguavoen will revert to his role as head of the Technical Department at the NFF.
“It’s a hot seat, but we should do everything we can to make it as cool as possible,” Eguavoen said. “It’s not about me or Eric; it’s about Nigeria and flying our flag at the World Cup in 2026.”
Despite Eguavoen’s brief time as interim coach, the Super Eagles now face the challenge of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The team currently sits fifth in their qualifying group with just three points from four matches.
Their next challenges include playing against group leaders Rwanda in Kigali, followed by a home match against Zimbabwe.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
