With uncertainty surrounding Jose Peseiro’s job after the AFCON second-place finish, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that Peseiro will still be in charge of the Super Eagles and will be giving all the support needed ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in June.
Ibrahim Gusau made this known on Tuesday, shortly after President Bola Tinubu hosted the team and conferred the team and officials with the prestigious Member of the Order of Niger (MON) for their outstanding performance at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
He said: “This is a great day for all of us. You can see how the President received the team, and we are highly elated to say that we have been honored with MON; it’s our entire team, including myself and my general secretary.
“That is a great thing that has happened to this country. That shows that Nigerians are really happy, especially the president. We thank God for the support given to this team, and by the grace of God, we will continue to do our best to ensure that we make Nigerians happy through football.”
“Ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, and the next qualifier for the World Cup in June, we have a FIFA window that we are trying to organize high-quality matches for the team for them to prepare for the match in June.
“We will give the coach all the necessary support needed for us to ensure that our team is fit for the next round of qualifiers,” Persecondnews quotes Gusau as saying.
The Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa, reiterated the need for Nigerians to show more love instead of hate towards Fulham star Alex Iwobi.
Musa said the team has shifted focus to ‘the World Cup qualifiers’, which is more important since we missed out on the last mundial in Qatar.
He said: “We know that we are very disappointed with the result, but there’s nothing we can do about this. That’s what happens in football. So now we have to go back and work ahead for the next AFCON, and we have a couple more games for the World Cup qualifiers, so that is more important.
“For our colleagues, I don’t think he deserves what he is getting now because I think we have done our nation proud. So we think everyone has to be proud of each and every one of us. But with what we saw on social media, if you want to attack, just attack all the team, not individual players.”
African footballer of the year Victor Osimhen, in solidarity with his teammates, called on Nigerians to “look at his mental health because there are some of us that can take this to heart and then keep on grinding. And there are some of us who think these things will get to their heads, and they will lose focus and form.
“So I think we are rallying around him; we have spoken to him individually and collectively. So I think he’s a strong dude and is ready to continue to give his all for his nation.”
President Tinubu, who received the national football team, expressed pride in the team, acknowledging their role in fostering unity within the country through their remarkable performance.
Despite finishing second, he encouraged them to hold their heads high and maintain their team spirit.
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