AFCONQ 2025: Eguavoen’s dilemma ahead of Super Eagles’ clash with Rwanda

Forum 11 hours ago

AFCONQ 2025: Eguavoen’s dilemma ahead of Super Eagles’ clash with Rwanda

Nigeria were already assured of a place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations before the players even kicked a ball in anger against Benin Republic in Abidjan on Thursday.

A goal from Fahd T. Saad Mohamed in the 84th minute gave Libya a shock 1-0 win over Rwanda in the other group fixture.

The Super Eagles’ points tally had been boosted by the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to award them three goals and three points after the debacle in Libya.

The Match Day 4 game, which was scheduled to be played in Benina on October 15, was called off after the Nigerian delegation saw their flight diverted.

They were then held hostage in an abandoned airport for at least 17 hours.

The Libya Football Federation (LFF) has also been ordered to pay a fine of $50,000.

But the three-time African champions made sure they would finish top of the group with a drab 1-1 draw with Benin.

It was an eyesore of a performance under a heavy downpour.

“I think it was a combination of factors,” Solace Chukwu, Site Coordinator, AfrikFoot NG.

“The weather conditions did not help and exposed the players to both injuries and mistakes.

“Combine that with the knowledge that qualification had been assured, and it’s easy to see why the players looked leggy and played within themselves.

“The selection and tactical setup didn’t do them any favours either.”

Augustine Eguavoen has performed admirably during his tenure as interim head coach.

The Eagles have remained unbeaten and only conceded their first goal in the AFCON qualifying series against the Beninoise.

However, Eguavoen’s critics are not very enthused about the idea of him staying beyond the qualifiers.

Should he be the man to lead Nigeria to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco?

“Hard to make a case for him on the basis of his interim spell in charge so far,” Chukwu responded.

“While he has yet to taste defeat, the performances have been laboured and disjointed. So, no.”

Eguavoen had announced he was stepping aside after the away game in Rwanda, but he made a dramatic U-turn and will be in the dugout for the home leg.

With the fixture essentially a dead rubber, as Nigeria will be group winners no matter the result, it remains to be seen what the 59-year-old will do with the game.

There have been murmurs that he could call up a couple of players from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), as he is likely to be in charge of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

“What he needed to do, knowing this, was be a little braver with his call-ups this window,” Chukwu noted.

“I do not subscribe to the idea of using the CHAN team for it.

“It may be a dead rubber, but the result will still have repercussions for Nigeria’s ranking, which could affect seedings for tournaments.”