TODAY, Friday, February 2, may determine if Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro will retain his job as the Super Eagles coach.
A major clause in his contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is to lead the team to at least the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Peseiro and his team have advanced to the quarter-finals of the AFCON, which is currently ongoing in Cote d’Ivoire.
They will file out against Palancas Negras of Angola, led by its coach Pedro Goncalves, today at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Abidjan, at 6:pm.
Before the commencement of the current AFCON, Peseiro had agreed to continue his job as the head coach of the Super Eagles despite a 50 per cent cut.
The coach’s 21-month watch over the team since he was appointed in 2022 before agreeing to an extension in 2023 has faced criticism following poor results from friendly matches and losing to minnow teams.
Peseiro’s record as Super Eagles coach
The ICIR reported the Portuguese tactician’s match records since he was appointed as the team’s head coach.
The report showed that under Peseiro’s watch, the Super Eagles won three and lost six of its nine matches. Among the six lost, five were friendlies.
The nine matches spanned from his first assignment against Mexico in a friendly match in Texas, dated May 29, 2022, till March 27, 2023, when Nigeria slugged it out against Guinea-Bissau.
In addition to the matches since March 27, 2023, The ICIR analysis shows that 11 other matches were played under the coach’s watch.
Out of the 11 matches, the Super Eagles won six, drew four and lost one.
In total, the Super Eagles have played 20 matches under the head coach, winning nine, losing seven, and logging four draws.
Here is a breakdown of matches played by the team under Peseiro
- May 29, 2022: Mexico 2 vs Nigeria 1
- June 3, 2022: Ecuador 1 vs Nigeria 0
- June 9, 2022: Nigeria 2 vs Sierra Leone 1
- June 13, 2022: Sao Tome and Principe 0 vs Nigeria 10
- Sept 27, 2022: Algeria 2 vs Nigeria 1
- Nov 10, 2022: Costa Rica 2 vs Nigeria 0
- Nov 17, 2022: Portugal 4 vs Nigeria 0
- Mar 24, 2023: Nigeria 0 vs Guinea-Bissau 1
- Mar 27, 2023: Guinea-Bissau 0 vs Nigeria 1
- June 18, 2023: Sierra Leone 2 vs Nigeria 3
- Sept 10, 2023: Sao Tome and Principe 0 vs Nigeria 6
- Oct 13, 2023: Saudi Arabia 2 vs Nigeria 2
- Oct 16, 2023: Mozambique 2 vs Nigeria 3
- Nov 16, 2023: Nigeria 1 vs Lesotho 1
- Nov 19, 2023: Zimbabwe 1 vs Nigeria 1
- Jan 8, 2024: Guinea 2 vs Nigeria 0
- Jan 14, 2024: Nigeria 1 vs Equatorial Guinea 1
- Jan. 18, 2024: Ivory Coast 0 vs Nigeria 1
- Jan. 22, 2024: Guinea-Bissau 0 vs Nigeria 1
- Jan. 27, 2024: Cameroon 0 vs Nigeria 2.
Ahead of the AFCON quarter-final match against Angola today, the head coach was seen in a video on X during the pre-match conference, expressing optimism and weathering the storm of criticism he has faced since he assumed the role as the Super Eagles gaffer.
“Thirty or 20 years ago, it was possible that these things affected me, but this moment of my career, I think I take too many vaccines, but it is in both ways; never does one coach deserves everybody to speak well about him.
“I am a man. My job is my job. I do my best every day. In conscience, I do my job every day, many hours. If I do badly or well, I need to suffer the consequences.
“But with my age and experience, I support everything; for me, the media is very important for football,” he said.