Augustine Eguavoen has resigned from his position as Nigeria’s national football team coach. Eguavoen’s resignation comes just three months after he took over from Gernot Rohr and is a direct fall out of the Super Eagles failure to qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
Nigeria needed a win to beat Ghana to the world cup ticket, but were only able to play for a 1-1 draw at the MKO Abiola Stadium Abuja.
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed Eguavoen’s resignation.
“Following the failure of the Super Eagles of Nigeria to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the erstwhile Technical Adviser, Augustine Eguavoen has stepped down from that position with immediate effect” NFF said in a statement on its website.
“The NFF has in the meantime withdrawn the two-and-half years contract offered the coaches and terminated the appointment of the entire technical crew of the team with immediate effect. A new crew will be announced after a proper review to lead the new charge of reinvigorating the Super Eagles to face future challenges appropriately.” the statement added.
Disappointed Nigerian fans soon went on rampage, storming the pitch at the end of the match when the reality of a no-World Cup show dawned. The chaos forced police and other security forces to fire tear gas in a desperate effort to disperse the crowd and restore order.
A Confederation of African Football (CAF) official Joseph Kabungo would later die in what authorities have confirmed to be a cardiac arrest he suffered at the dressing room shortly after the match and the ugly scenes at the stadium.
56 year old Eguavoen represented the Super Eagles for 11 years according to goal.com. He was named as the Super Eagles interim manager in December following the sacking of Gernot Rohr after five years.
His contract stipulated he would step aside for Portuguese tactician Jose Peseiro after the African cup of nations in Cameroon where he led Nigeria to a second round finish.
Meanwhile the Nigerian football coach is not the only one that has relieved himself of the job.
Carlos Queiroz left his role as Egypt head coach after ‘The Pharaohs’ missed out on a place at the World Cup finals in Qatar. The Pharaohs lost again to Senegal in a penalty shoot-out on Tuesday that has raised controversy also about the role of the local fans using laser lights on Egyptian players during the shoot out.
The 69-year-old posted a goodbye message to Egypt players and staff on social media shortly after the defeat.
