Afrigather Jose Peseiro is one of some non-Nigerians to be bestowed with the celebrated Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).
The MON is without doubt one of the highest honours Nigeria can confer on its residents – and generally buddies of the nation – who’ve rendered service to the advantage of the nation.
In his knowledge, President Bola Tinubu was satisfied that Peseiro had executed sufficient to benefit a nationwide ornament after the Portuguese coach guided the Tremendous Eagles to the ultimate of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Sarcastically, Peseiro got here near getting the sack on the eve of the AFCON following a string of poor outcomes.
The previous Porto supervisor led the Tremendous Eagles to consecutive attracts towards Lesotho and Zimbabwe within the first two World Cup qualifiers in November.
Solely the NFF’s monetary constraints stopped the soccer physique from exhibiting Peseiro the door, as revealed by Nse Essien, a board member of the NFF.
Essien mentioned on the time: “Should you verify the web, nearly everyone seems to be asking for the sack of the top coach. It’s unlucky that out of six factors, we’ve got simply two, and we’ve got discovered ourselves in a precarious scenario.”
Nonetheless, occasions flip in Peseiro’s favour on the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire.
After seeing the Tremendous Eagles wrestle to a 1-1 draw of their opening match towards Equatorial Guinea, Peseiro modified the group’s setup and led them to the AFCON closing on the again of 5 consecutive victories.
Regardless of enjoying towards hosts Cote d’Ivoire in that title decider, the Tremendous Eagles had been the slight favourites to say a win, having overwhelmed the Elephants earlier within the event.
Nigeria had been, nevertheless, out-thought, outfought, and outitted by the hosts to lose 2-1 regardless of taking the lead by way of Participant of the Event, William Troost-Ekong.
Nonetheless, on the group’s return to Nigeria, President Tinubu hosted them at a state dinner in Abuja, the place he handed Peseiro and the boys the MON honours.
Peseiro was additionally given a home and land within the Federal Capital Metropolis.
For a coach with just one main title – the Taça da Liga he gained with Braga in 2013 – to indicate in his 32-year teaching profession, his reward for ending second on the AFCON is essentially the most vital of his life.
It’s unarguably the most important compensation the Nigerian state has ever provided to any coach – indigenous or overseas – who led any of the nationwide groups to a runner-up spot at a significant event.
Jo Bonfrère, the final foreigner to safe a silver medal for Nigeria on the AFCON, didn’t obtain greater than a presidential handshake from the then-President Olusegun Obasanjo after the Tremendous Eagles misplaced on penalties to Cameroon on the yr 2000 version.
This has raised questions on whether or not Peseiro was overcompensated for his troubles in Cote d’Ivoire.
For 1980 AFCON winner Segun Odegbami, Peseiro obtained greater than he deserved for his tactical enter, tagging it the ‘most beneficiant present within the historical past of soccer’.
“The nation has been very beneficiant and grateful to him (Peseiro) for the service he rendered particularly throughout AFCON 2023, which took us to the ultimate match,” Odegbami wrote in his column within the Complete Sports.
“He has been rewarded past no matter contributions he made to the nation’s soccer. No different nation on earth would have given him a home, a land in Abuja, all of the bonuses he collected, and a Nationwide Honour, for coming second in a championship.
“It have to be essentially the most beneficiant present within the historical past of soccer on the planet. He ought to go, depart Nigerian soccer alone, and benefit from the largesse.”
Regardless of President Tinubu’s generosity, Peseiro introduced he would not proceed as head coach of the Tremendous Eagles on March 1.
Augustine Eguavoen, head of the NFF’s Technical Division, will take cost of the group in an interim capability till a substantive coach is employed.
N.B: Was Jose Peseiro overcompensated for main Nigeria’s Tremendous Eagles to a second-place end at AFCON 2023? Go away your feedback beneath.
