Eguavoen denies stepping down as Eagles coach

The Nigeria Football Federation’s Technical Director, Austin Eguavoen, has refuted claims that he has stepped down as the interim coach of the Super Eagles following the recent 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Eguavoen was assigned by the NFF to oversee the two matches after the federation failed to secure German coach Bruno Labbadia due to complications with German tax regulations.

The official announcement of his appointment stated, “Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Coach Augustine Eguavoen, will now manage the Super Eagles for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic (Uyo, September 7) and Rwanda (Kigali, September 10).”

Under Eguavoen’s leadership, Nigeria secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Benin Republic in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, last Saturday. However, they were held to a goalless draw by Rwanda in the second match of the series on Tuesday.

Following the draw in Kigali, reports surfaced that Eguavoen had resigned from his interim coaching role. However, the coach has dismissed these claims ahead of the AFCON qualifiers doubleheader against Libya next month.

“It’s unfortunate that false information is being spread. In our current situation, we don’t need any negative stories,” Eguavoen said during a media interaction at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

“I only mentioned that I would discuss the next steps with the federation’s leadership after these two games. But when I saw that story, I was concerned. The reports out there are not accurate. I’m still fully in charge. As the NFF Technical Director, I’m responsible for leading the Super Eagles at this time,” he clarified.