Sports

Nigeria Set to Appoint Former Cameroon and Jamaica Coach as Super Eagles Manager

Published by Tope Fakinlede on September 17th, 2024.

Nigeria Set to Appoint Former Cameroon and Jamaica Coach as Super Eagles Manager

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is preparing to name German coach Winfried Schafer as the new head coach of the Super Eagles, according to Soccernet.ng. This decision follows weeks of negotiations and is set to see Schafer take over from Augustine Eguavoen, who has been serving as interim coach since late August.

Schafer, who has previously managed teams such as Cameroon, Thailand, and Jamaica, was chosen for his extensive experience. Notably, he led Cameroon to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002 and guided Jamaica to the Caribbean Cup title in 2014.

Initially, the NFF had considered other candidates, including Bruno Labbadia, but negotiations with him fell through due to tax issues. The federation also explored former Sweden coach Janne Andersson and AFCON-winning manager Hervé Renard before deciding on Schafer.

Schafer is expected to be officially announced soon and is likely to bring his own coaching staff, although talks are still ongoing regarding local assistants. Eguavoen will resume his role as the NFF Technical Director once Schafer is appointed.

Schafer, known as “Winnie,” last managed Al-Khor in Qatar in 2021. His coaching career spans several leagues and includes titles in the Bundesliga, UAE Football League, and Caribbean Cup. He will now focus on guiding Nigeria through the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.