Super Eagles interim coach Austin Eguavoen has addressed the confusion surrounding his post-match comments after Nigeria’s goalless draw with Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Tuesday.
Eguavoen, who was appointed as a temporary head coach following the collapse of negotiations with German coach Bruno Labbadia, had emphasized that his mandate was limited to two matches — the victories over Benin and the stalemate in Rwanda.
“Yeah, I've been given a mandate to handle two games, and it ends today (against Rwanda on Tuesday), which is the two-game mandate,” he explained.
“I have not been told (to continue as Super Eagles coach), but I can talk about the upcoming matches, including Libya, in case we have another coach. I’ll also remain close to the team as the Technical Director.”
Has Austin Eguavoen stepped down as Nigeria coach?
Following his remarks, rumours circulated in the media suggesting that Eguavoen had stepped down as Super Eagles coach.
Austin Eguavoen quickly moved to clarify that his statements had been taken out of context.
“It’s quite unfortunate that people just trigger something that is not correct. And the situation we are in now, we don’t need negative stories,” he said.
“I only talked about sitting down with the hierarchy of the Federation after the two games to discuss how we’ll go about prosecuting the next matches. When I saw the story, I was kind of worried and concerned.”
Eguavoen reassured fans, stating, “Whatever people are reading out there is not correct. I am still very much in charge.
“I am the Technical Director of the NFF, saddled with the responsibility of taking the Super Eagles at this moment, and that is where we are.”
With four points from two matches, Nigeria currently leads Group D of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. Benin follows closely in second place with three points, while Rwanda and Libya are tied with one point each.
