By Olaitan Ibrahim
Nigerian coach Samson Siasia has revealed that he is open to negotiating with the Nigeria Football Federation if they approach him for the Super Eagles coaching job, according to a source.
Since Siasia retired from active football in 2000, he has spent a huge chunk of his coaching career with Nigeria. The former Julius Berger man was appointed as the Flying Eagles coach between 2005 and 2007 before getting promoted to the under-23 team.
Siasia was in charge of Nigeria’s under-23 team for three years before getting appointed as the senior team’s coach in 2010. However, he was sacked after his inability to land the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations ticket.
He got the job again in 2016 on an interim basis, but he barely lasted months before he was let go.
Siasia has been out of job for the past five years after FIFA banned him from all football-related activities due to corruption.
However, the 57-year-old is back from his ban, and he has been touted as a potential option for the Super Eagles job due to their lack of a permanent gaffer.
When queried on if he was willing to take on the Super Eagles job, Siasia revealed that he was open, but he would want to get a proper contract to avoid problems.
“I know the situation we’re in, but you just have to negotiate. I have to sit down and discuss with them. I just don’t want to jump in if they ask me to come in there because it’s a very difficult situation,” Eguavoen said in a statement.
“Nigerians don’t want to hear anything other than a win. But if you don’t have a team and you don’t plan well, how can you win?
“So it has to be back and forth discussions and compromises to see how we can meet on a common ground.
“I’m not going to throw myself in there. The Super Eagles job is not the only job in the world. I want to win, but I have to do it the right way, they have to do it the right way.”
Augustine Eguavoen is currently the interim coach of the Super Eagles. He was in charge of Nigeria’s last two games against Benin and Rwanda, and claimed one win and a draw.