Nigeria – Eguavoen Denies Stepping Down As Eagles Coach

The Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Austin Eguavoen, has denied stepping down as the interim coach of the Super Eagles after the two 2025 AFCON qualifiers against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Speaking in a media chat on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Eguavoen said, “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.”

Eguavoen’s denial comes in the wake of rumors that circulated on Tuesday, saying he had resigned following a goalless draw in Kigali, but he clarified that he remains committed to his role.

He emphasised that his comments had been misconstrued and that he only intended to consult with the NFF leadership to strategize for the next set of matches.

“I only talked about sitting down with the hierarchy of the federation after these two games and we will see how to go about prosecuting the next games,” he explained.

“But when I saw that story, I was worried. Whatever people are reading out there aren’t correct. I’m still very much in charge. I’m the Technical Director of the NFF, saddled with the responsibility of taking the Super Eagles at this moment,” he said.

Eguavoen was appointed by the NFF to take charge of the two games following the inability of the federation to secure the services of German coach, Bruno Labbadia, over what they call stringent German tax laws.

“In the event, Technical Director of Nigeria Football Federation, Coach Augustine Eguavoen, will now take charge of the Super Eagles for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic (Uyo, September 7) and Rwanda (Kigali, September 10),” the statement announcing his appointment had partly read.

Under Eguavoen’s guidance, Nigeria secured a 3-0 victory over the Benin Republic in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, last Saturday, before settling for a goalless draw against Rwanda on Tuesday.