Strong indications are rife that the Flying Eagles’ boss, Manu Garba, is being considered as Super Eagles’ caretaker coach for their African Nations Cup qualifying double header against the Red Devils of Congo and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
The move, according to out source, was to bridge the gap that may exist before the renewal of Stephen Keshi’s contract as the substantive Super Eagles coach.
It was gathered that the Nigeria Football federation is worried that the absence of a coach may derail the team’s build up to the Nations Cup qualifiers in September.
The reasoning is that since Manu has a fair knowledge of the local football scene and had worked with some of the invited players in the past, it is expedient to have him prepare the team pending the confirmation of Keshi or any other coach that may get the job if the talks get deadlocked.
The board does not want to make any hasty decision, only to back pedal if the initial plans fail.
Also, an ex-player with a fair understanding of the game is being considered to fully take charge of the team if the Keshi deal fails to sail through.
Our source said the Aminu Maigari-led executive board of the NFF is scared that the current crisis may affect the team’s build up, hence the need to act fast to avoid undue pressure on the players and the coaching crew.
Rather than wait indefinitely, the board decided to release the list of players for the games in September without a coach in place.