Who Should be the Next Super Eagles of Nigeria Head Coach? View Profile of Candidates for the Job

Profile of Candidates Who Applied For Super Eagles Head Coach Job

At least ten candidates submitted their applications indicating their interest for the vacant Super Eagles head coach job to the Nigeria Football Federation before deadline day on Tuesday, 12 March 2024.

List Of Interested Candidates:

1.   Finidi George

2. Emmanuel Amunike

3. Antonio Conceicao

4. Salisu Yusuf

5. Michael Nsien

6. Ndubuisi Egbo

7. Sylvanus Okpala

8. Samson Siasia

9. Daniel Amokachi

10. Sunday Oliseh

Job Vacancy for Super Eagles Head Coach 

The NFF last week called for applications to fill the position of the Super Eagles head coach following the departure of Portuguese tactician Jose Peseiro.

Peseiro led the Nigerian national team to the runner-up spot at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

However, despite showing interest in continuing in the role, he could not reach a contractual agreement with the NFF.

Several top Nigerian coaches are applied to succeed Peseiro, including one European. A brief look at their Football CV:

 Profile the 10 Applicants

1. Finidi George

Coaching Qualification: UEFA A License, Preferred Formation 4-4-2 Double 6

Coaching Experience & Achievements:

Finidi, served as Director of international football at Real Mallorca before he took over as head coach of Enyimba FC and guided "the People's Elephant" to the Nigeria Premier league title last year. He also served as assistant to Peseiro at AFCON 2023, where Nigeria also finished as runners up. 

Finidi is vastly experienced and has been part of the Nigerian national team quest for over two decades. He was a key player that won AFCON in 1994 and runners up in 2000. He represented Super Eagles at the world cup 1994, 1998 and 2002. Finidi was also a key player for the Ajax Amsterdam team that won 1995 UEFA Champions league. 

2. Emmanuel Amunike

Coaching Qualification: UEFA Pro License, UEFA 'A' and 'B' coaching badges, Preferred formation 4-3-3 WPA2 ( Wing Play Attack) 

Coaching Experience & Achievements:

Amunike has served in the FIFA Technical Committee both at the senior World Cup and other FIFA developmental tournaments. 

Amunike is banking on his coaching career that saw him led the Golden Eaglets to win 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Most of the players in the Super eagles squad have worked with him during their developmental stages. He also led Tanzania to qualify for the 2019 AFCON, the country’s first appearance at the tournament since 1980.

Amunike is very experienced when it comes to Nigeria national team quest and he is part of the team's significant milestones. He was also a key player of the 1994 AFCON winner and  1996 Olympic gold medals. He once played for the star studded FC Barcelona of 1995.

3. Antonio Conceicao

Coaching Qualification: UEFA A License, Preferred Formation 4-4-2 TSM 2 (Total Soccer Method 2) 

Coaching Experience & Achievements

Conceicao is vastly experienced with over 28 years of coaching career, a journey man of some sort. His managerial career of over two decades, Conceição led a variety of Portuguese teams and won Premiera league with Porto,  Segunda with Braga and cup honours in three spells with Cluj in Romania. He also managed Cameroon to third place at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

His playing career was spent mostly in the Primeira Liga at Braga, as well as Vizela and one appearance for Porto. He also earned one cap for Portugal in 1988.

4. Salisu Yusuf

Coaching Qualification: CAF A License, preferred formation 4-3-3 WPA 1

Coaching Experience & Achievements

Yusuf could be more experienced than any other coach when it comes to working with the Nigeria national team. He has worked mostly in assistant capacity. He was the assistant of Samson Siasia, Stephen Keshi, Gernot Rohr during their time as Super Eagles head coach. He has also worked as interim head coach of Super Eagles in 2017 and almost always CHAN Eagles head coach. He has over two decades of experience at this level. 

Yusuf has coached most of the top clubs in Nigeria: El Kanemi, Lobi Stars, Enyimba, Kano Pillars, Rangers to mention a few and had won NPFL in 2008 and the FA Cup twice.

He played as a midfielder at Ranchers Bees, El Kanemi and understand the Nigerian football system more than anyone else. However, his record was tainted in 2018 when he was fingered in bribery allegations involving CHAN Super Eagles players.

5. Michael Nsien

Coaching Qualification: USSF-Pro license, preferred formation 3-4-3 TSM 1

Coaching Experience & Achievements

Michael Nsien could be perceived as a GenZ kind of a modern coach with indepth knowledge in the use of technology and technical analysis of the sport. Just earned his USSF-Pro license in 2020 and seen more as a developmental coach as he is the current head coach of US-U19 team and had previously managed the US-U16 team. Nsien was named permanent head coach of Tulsa Double neck in December 2018.

He played as a defender for LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers and Al Shaab. 

6. Ndubuisi Egbo

Coaching Qualification: UEFA B License and MSc  Science

Coaching Experience & Achievements

The first African coach to lead an European team to a league title, and qualification for the UEFA Champions League, Ndubuisi Egbo started as a goalkeeper trainer for Bylis and Tirana FC in Albania 2005. He later took over as head coach in K F Tirana where he dominated the Albanian football winning for KF Tirana Kategoria Superiore: 2019-20, 20-21 season and  also won for FC Prishtina Kosovar Supercup: 2024 where he currently coach.  Nicknamed "The Winner"  Or "The Winning Mentality", Egbo always wins wherever he goes. 

As a player he won the Nigeria Premier League with Julius Berger in 1996, Egypt Cup with Al Masry 1998, Albanian Cup:, Albanian Supercup, Kategoria Superiore from 2001 - 2004 with KF Tirana. 

7. Sylvanus Okpala 

Coaching Qualification: CAF A License, Preferred formation 4-3-3 WPA 2

Coaching Experience & Achievements

Sylvanus Okpala is very experienced in the Nigeria football set up as a player and as a coach. He was Keshi's first assistant coach when Super Eagles won AFCON in 2013.

Okpala nicknamed "Quicksilver" also won AFCON as a player in 1980 and played his club football for Enugu Rangers, C.S. Marítimo and C.D. Nacional 

8. Samson Siasia

Coaching Qualification: CAF A License Preferred formation 3-4-3 TSM

Coaching Experience & Achievements

Samson Siasia better known for his enterprising coaching style and the play of his team, vastly experienced and has coached through the ranks of Nigeria national teams. He won Africa Youth Championship and led the Flying Eagles all the way to the U20 FIFA World Cup Final in 2005. He also led Nigeria U23 to win Olympics silver medal 2008, he won the Intercontinental Cup in Malaysia the same year. Again, he lead the U23 team to win Bronze medal at Rio Olympics in 2015.

 He first took over the Nigeria national team head coach in 2010, but was fired in 2011 after failing to qualify for AFCON 2011 hosted by Gabon&Equatorial Guinea. He was reappointed in 2016 assisted by Salisu Yusuf and Emmanuel Amunike, but was relieved of the job after a bribery allegation and consequent life ban by FIFA. Siasia's appeal has reduced the life ban and he would serve out the ban this year in August 2024.

As a player, Siasia most notably played for Flash flamingos in Nigeria and FC Nantes in French Ligue 1,where he became league champion in 1994–95.

Siasia earned 51 caps for Nigeria, in which he scored thirteen goals, and was part of the team that participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and won the 1994 African Nations Cup. He was also a member of the Nigerian team that won bronze at 1992 African Nations Cup in Senegal. He participated in the national team over a period of 11 years and was recognized in Nigeria as the third leading scorer for the national team