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The 59-year old manager revealed he was close to being appointed as coach of the Super Eagles before Finidi George
South African managerial icon Pitso Motsimane has revealed how close he was to taking the Super Eagles of Nigeria job before talks broke down between him and representatives of the national team.
Mosimane reveals Super Eagles talks
The 59-year-old three-time CAF Champions League winner revealed in an interview on the Sports Night Amplified podcast that he had held talks with members of the Nigerian football hierarchy and even got the backing of one of the Super Eagles’biggest legends, saying, “The talks were there, the calls were there. I think you know Jay Jay Okocha was leading this thing, begging me. But also, you know you have South Africa, Nigeria in the same group it’s not too nice, because I’m patriotic also.
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“I want to see my country in the World Cup. but also, work is work and you can never deny a chance to coach Chukwueze, Osimhen.”
When asked why the deal eventually did not pull through, Mosimane answered that there were no official offers made, saying, “There was never a deal on the table. Just talks. This one calls, this one from the federation talks. You know in football the contract must be on the table. If that is not really happening, there is no deal.”
Mosimane pinpoints reasons for Super Eagles’ struggles
Speaking further about the Super Eagles, the former Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns manager revealed what he believes to be the reason why Nigeria continues to underachieve, saying, “Those guys are top talents in the world. But Nigeria struggles, in my opinion, they struggle with system, the shape of how they play.
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“The problem is when you have too many good football players, it’s nearly the same as Brazil at the World Cup. You know when you have too much talent and the coach doesn’t even know who to play and where to play them, the coach is impatient when the game is not looking good and you make changes just because you have somebody on the bench. There’s no patience.”
There have been no other reports about whether or not Nigeria will consider the ex-Bafana Bafana boss to take over from the reportedly departing Finidi George as they look to salvage what is left of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
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