President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick says the football body is on the look out for a substantive coach for the senior national team of Nigeria despite appointing Austin Eguavoen as interim coach.
Eguavoen was handed the role following the sacking of Gernot Rohr but it appears he won’t be in charge of the team for the Africa Cup of Nations which begins next month in Cameroon.
Pinnick hinted at the possibility of the coach not leading the team to the tournament while speaking with journalist in Lagos after an event where he was a special guest.
“We know Eguavoen can do it, but we also want someone who can do it better. If we are unable to sign him soon, then we will work with the current team. But I am not going to tell you that if we have him signed today, he is not going to lead the team to the AFCON”, Pinnick said.
He however said if they fail to reach an agreement with their preferred option and Eguavoen goes ahead to win the AFCON he will be handed the role permanently with qualification for the 2022 World Cup via the play off as immediate target.
“And if Eguavoen wins the Nations Cup, we might have a rethink. In that case, the foreign coach will now become the technical director, while Eguavoen takes the position of technical adviser”, he concluded.