By Ifeanyi Ibeh

The Nigeria Football Federation is considering the possibility of appointing Augustine Eguavoen the permanent coach of the Super Eagles.

Former Nigeria international Eguavoen was named to the post last month in an interim capacity after the NFF sacked former coach Gernot Rohr.

The NFF later appointed Portuguese Jose Peseiro as the new head coach of the three-time African champions.

Peseiro is expected to take charge of the team after the AFCON finals in Cameroon but, according to ESPN, quoting a member of the NFF executive council who preferred anonymity, the Portuguese “is not in Cameroon because we have not signed a contract with him yet.

“If he had signed a contract, he would have definitely been in Cameroon as planned.

“We are managing the public trust. So we have to look at what the people want and we also know what we want as well,” added the official.

“What we all agree on is that we want the team to do well, to play good football, to make Nigerians happy and to win trophies.

“It doesn’t matter who the coach is, what matters is the objective. If that objective can be achieved with Eguavoen as we can see now, then why not?

“We removed Rohr because Nigerians were not happy with the play and we were not blind to see that we were not going in the right direction the way we were playing.”

Eguavoen put himself in the frame for the job after guiding the Super Eagles to three successive wins at the on-going Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The former defender is also prepared to take over the team on a permanent basis if offered the Super Eagles head coaching job.

“Those craving for me to take the job permanently, I say thank you and why not. I’m happy with the position I occupy in the NFF, but if that opportunity comes, why not? When we get to that river we will cross it,” he told reporters in Cameroon.

“I think a coach is a coach, everyone has his own style of management, methods and leadership. For me foreign coach or local coach, a coach is a coach. It does not matter.

“It’s not so easy. I was part of a group that interviewed some of the coaches for the job and as the Technical Director of the NFF, I had to be involved. If the NFF gives me the job, why not? But it is up to them to decide. If a contract has been signed then we have to respect it.

“The only thing I can guarantee is that we will have a good working relationship because I know the terrain, he does not and we have to make sure we provide a platform to be relaxed and I will support him 100 per cent because it is not about me but the country first.”