Izuchukwu OkosiThe Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has reportedly settled for Austin Eguavoen and Emmanuel Amuneke as the head coach and assistant coach of the Super Eagles respectively.
Eguavoen was in charge of the team on their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon albeit on interim basis as Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro was mandated to take charge after the Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
However the supposed contract of the former Venezuela coach who was recommended by AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho is looking increasingly unlikely to be ratified ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup playoffs against Ghana late March.
The Nigeria Football Coaches Association (NFCA), through its president, Isah Ladan Bosso, had queried the appointment of a foreign technical adviser for the Super Eagles, stating that no foreign coach had won a World Cup in the history of the competition.
Eguavoen is the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation and sources close to the Glass House indicate that the NFF will ditch the plans to appoint Peseiro.
The decision has been rubberstamped by the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare.
Eguavoen took the Eagles to the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations where they lost to Tunisia and has submitted his technical report to the leadership of the NFF.
There are indications that Eguavoen will get a two-year year contract and his present N3m salary improved.
Eguavoen is poised to start the compilation of names of players that will prosecute the 2022 FIFA World Cup playoffs against Ghana with league and Cup games restarting across Europe this weekend.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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