'Fire him' - Ex-Super Eagles GK calls for Peseiro's head after defeat to Ivory Coast in AFCON final

Former Super goalkeeper Idah Peterside has called for the sacking of José Peseiro after he failed to lead Nigeria to another AFCON glory, losing 2-0 to Ivory Coast in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday night.

Despite taking the lead through a William Troost-Ekong header in the 38th minute of the game, the Super Eagles couldn't hold on to their lead, conceding two goals in the second half to the host nation.

The loss has generated a lot of reactions, with some calling for the head of Peseiro, while some have praised him for getting to the final and have asked that he should be kept in his position.

Peterside falls in the camp of those calling for the head of the Portuguese coach, expressing his disappointment with the way the Super Eagles have played under him, he told Channels Television.

"We all know Brazilians play Samba football, the British will always play fast football and just drop the ball, that is how they play.

"Now we are playing the Portuguese version of Jose Mourinho where we pack the bus. That is what we are playing now but this is not our style,

"Look at Ivory Coast, they fired their coach, well the coach resigned if I would say when they didn't qualify.  They brought their home-based coach who knew the culture, and all of a sudden everything changed.

"He would have said to them, where are you running to, pass the ball. Every time you play football, the coaches will tell to you deny the opponent time and space, and whoever holds the ball wins the game. Everybody is looking for one ball, so knock it around, play it around, and you get the results.

" We don't have that kind of culture. You know a lot of people asked me yesterday, the coach got the final, what do you think, I said to fire him."

Peseiro was handed a contract extension last year with the mandate to lead Nigeria at least to the seminal of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, a target he has met and exceeded. 

With the World Cup qualifiers and the 2025 AFCON qualifiers coming later in the year, it remains to be seen whether the Nigeria Football Federation will keep faith with the 63-year-old tactician. 

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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