By Amaechi Agbo

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has extended the contract of Jose Peseiro as Super Eagles Coach until after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON in Cote D’Ivoire next year

This is as the federation also issued the Portuguese a semi-final target at the AFCON 2023 continental biennial football showpiece which will hold between January and February next year.

His contract is due to expire by June 30

Peseiro signed a one-year contract with NFF in may last year and was promised an extension if he could take Nigeria to Ivory Coast next January and win the AFCON trophy which the Super Eagles last won in 2013 in South Africa under late Coach Stephen Keshi.

Already he has qualified the team for the tournament but Nigerians are still much sceptical of his capability to lead the national team back to its glory days.

Jose Peseiro’s reign, as short as it has been, so far, has seen the Super Eagles come under a very bad patch, littered with poor results and indifferent displays. The team struggles in every match, no matter the opposition. Many Nigerians are of the opinion that with the coach in charge, the Eagles cannot get past the quarter-finals of the 24-team AFCON tournament.

Although NFF has not made official statement on the extension, the federation had few days ago opened a website portal asking Nigerian to vote for or against the extension of the Portuguese contract.

With the results of the poll not yet made public, it has been gathered that the 63-year-old will guide the three-time Africa champions to the 2023 AFCON finals in Cote D’Ivoire

Since his employment last year, Peseiro played a total of ten matches; won 4 and lost 6. The coach lost all five friendly matches played by the Super Eagles

The biggest humiliation was the Super Eagles’ 0-1 home loss to Guinea Bissau in Abuja in March this year.

Nigerians, outrageous over the defeat and the woeful performance of the team, “called for the Portuguese head”

Super Eagles are going to the AFCON tournament next year as one of the favourite teams to win the competition she last won ten years ago in South Africa