In a recent revelation, Nse Essien, a board member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has expressed the federation’s financial incapacity to fulfill compensatory payments for Super Eagles Head Coach Jose Peseiro in the event of his dismissal.
This announcement comes in the wake of heightened scrutiny surrounding Peseiro, following back-to-back draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in the Group C World Cup qualifiers.
The Portuguese coach has faced mounting pressure as expectations from Nigerian football enthusiasts were met with unexpected challenges.
The encounters against the 151st and 125th ranked teams saw them taking the lead, defying predictions of an easy journey for the Super Eagles. A late rally from the 40th-ranked nation salvaged the matches, but the outcomes have intensified calls for Peseiro’s removal.
In a post-match interview, Essien acknowledged the prevailing sentiments calling for Peseiro’s dismissal but emphasized the NFF’s financial limitations as a hindrance to meeting compensatory fees.
This revelation adds a layer of complexity to the ongoing discussions surrounding the future of the Super Eagles’ coaching staff and the broader implications for Nigerian football.
“If you check the internet almost everyone is asking for the sack of the head coach. It is unfortunate that out of six points, we have just two and we have found ourselves in a precarious situation.
“When you say NFF should sack the Head coach we didn’t employ him, this regime didn’t employ him when you come to look at it it was the Sports Ministry that employed him,” he said after the draw against Zimbabwe.
NFF had in September, extended the job of the 63-year-old coach following
a renegotiated pay of $50,000 contract from $70,000.
But accommo to Essien, NFF is yet to pay Peseiro his salary and therefore, has to respect his contract.
He said, “Up till now, we were supposed to have paid their salaries, up till now they have not paid a dime.
“Who pays for compensation that is the situation we find ourselves in not a dime has been paid to this coach who earns about $70,000 every month.
“We have to respect Jose Peseiro’s contract. If we had the money to give to him (pay him off) we are going to relieve him. We are not happy.”