By Dipo Olowookere
The interim coach of the Super Eagles, Mr Augustine Eguavoan, has dispelled rumours of his exit from the job, saying he is still in charge of the team.
The former Super Eagles player was drafted to oversee two Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifying matches between Benin Republic and Rwanda last Saturday and on Tuesday, respectively, after a German tactician, Mr Bruno Labbadia, left his role as the manager of the team a few days after he was appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
After his goalless draw with Rwanda in Kigali on Tuesday, Mr Eguavoan was asked if he would return to his job as the Technical Director of the NFF, he responded in the affirmative, saying his job was done with the national football team as he was only asked to handle the two matches, which he won one and drew one.
But reacting later to this, the ex-international emphasised that he was still in charge of the team and may oversee the other matches slated for next month.
In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom after returning to Abuja on Tuesday night, the interim manager said he was misquoted by the media.
“It’s quite unfortunate that people trigger something that’s not correct,” he said, saying his words were twisted to suit the narratives of those peddling the stories.
“The situation where we are in now, we don’t need negative stories; I only talked about sitting down with the hierarchy of the federation after the two games, and we would see how we go about prosecuting the next games,” he clarified.
The well-respected gaffer noted it was a source of worry and concern for him to read and hear about such as well in the media, saying, “When I saw that story, I was worried and concerned.”
“Whatever people are reading out there is not correct; I’m still very much in charge [of the Super Eagles],” he noted, stating that, “I’m the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, saddled with the responsibilities of taking charge of the Super Eagles as at this moment, and that’s where we are.”
Moving on from that he gave an insight into why Fulham star Alex Iwobi, Nottingham Forest’s Lanky point man, Taiwo Awoniyi, Udinese shot stopper Maduka Okoye, and the likes didn’t get much playing time or didn’t play at all, was clear and direct with his response.
“We have 23 quality, talented players from which we can pick, at any given time,” he said, noting that he can’t make use of more than what’s required on the field of play at any given time.
“The difficult one is we’ve got talents, but they can’t all play in the 11 for the two games.
“Sometimes, the best players can get frustrated, which is normal, but within the squad, we know there’s an agreement, and there’s a cordial relationship between all players,” he averred.
“If you are called to play, you play. If you are not called, you stick to supporting the team on the sidelines,” he concluded.
Modupe Gbadeyanka