Even though Peseiro guided the Super Eagles to the final of the 2023 AFCON, his departure as coach had already been decided before the final
With the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) unable to name a substantive coach for the senior football national team, former Super Eagles manager Jose Peseiro has revealed his reasons for quitting Nigeria's men's national football team amidst contract renewal talks with the NFF.
After leading the Eagles to a second-place finish at the AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast this past February, Peseiro announced his decision to leave, despite widespread speculation that he might stay on for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and upcoming AFCON qualifiers.
Reflecting on his departure, Peseiro said that his decision was made before the tournament even began: "I don't know, I think it was one moment I liked, but I decided, when I started the AFCON, that when I finished my contract, I would leave. I decided at that moment."
Peseiro admitted that while he would have loved to win a trophy for Nigeria, he felt he had reached his limit in the role: "Because, yes, I put too much effort into my job. Too much stress. Okay, but I gave my all, along with my staff and the players. The players were the best part, but I think it was enough."
A rollercoaster journey
Peseiro's time with the Super Eagles was a journey of highs and lows. His tenure began with two losses but gradually improved. Under his leadership, Nigeria went unbeaten until the AFCON final, conceding only four goals throughout the tournament.
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The Portuguese coach managed the Super Eagles in 22 games, winning 11, losing seven, and drawing four.
Despite the challenges, Peseiro expressed gratitude to Nigerian football fans and the government for the opportunity to serve. Before his time with the Eagles, Peseiro had experienced mixed results in his coaching career, including a challenging stint with Venezuela, where he lost six out of 10 games. However, his time with the Eagles marked a positive turnaround, culminating in the AFCON final.
"Nigeria has done an amazing job until now for me with good players, good deals, good goals, and a good team.
"We played very well until the final. I think until the final, our team was the best in the AFCON. Only in the final, Côte d'Ivoire was better than us. But we beat Côte d'Ivoire also in the second game in the tournament," Peseiro remarked.
Peseiro was interviewed at the CAF AFCON 2023 Coaches Symposium, which was held in Abidjan between 12 and 13 September. Super Eagles interim coach Augustine Eguavoen and another former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, were present at the event.
