French coach Paul Le Guen appointed as new Super Eagles manager in $40,000 a month

FRENCHMAN Paul Le Guen has been appointed as the new Super Eagles head coach by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and will take charge of the team's 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

 

Mr Le Guen, 52, who steered Cameroon's Indomitable Lions to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa is to be assisted by Nigerian Salisu Yusuf, who takes on the role of chief coach. Both appointments are subject to agreement of contract terms with the NFF executive committee, which is expected soon.

 

According to NFF sources, Mr Le Guen will be offered a $40,000 monthly salary while his assistant is expected to earn about N1.5m ($5,220). Mr Le Guen played for Brest, Nantes and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) and won 17 caps for France before coaching Rennes, Lyon, PSG and Glasgow Rangers as well as the national teams of Oman and Cameroon.

Mr Yusuf, a former Ranchers Bees  player was capped at Under-20 level by Nigeria and is a former coach of both Kano Pillars and Enyimba of Aba. After Sunday Oliseh quit the Eagles job and Samson Siasia held forth for two games, Mr Yusuf stepped in as an interim coach for two international friendly matches in Europe at the end of May.

 

NFF spokesman Paul Bassey, said that Enugu Rangers coach Imama Amapakabo and former Super Eagles’ goalkeeper and skipper Alloy Agu, who served as assistant coach and goalkeeper trainer for the games against Mali and Luxembourg in May, will retain their places in the new technical crew. This new crew’s immediate challenge is a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania in the first week of September, which would only really serve as ample preparation for the 2018 World Cup qualifying match away to Zambia on October 3.

 

In addition, the NFF selection committee has also recommended to the NFF board, the appointment of one-time Super Eagles’ assistant coach, Bitrus Bewarang as the new NFF technical director. Mr Bewarang, who is president of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, will replace the late coach Shaibu Amodu.

 

There is also a recommendation that former Super Eagles’ defender Nduka Ugbade be restored to the Under-17 national team as assistant to coach Manu Garba. Mr Ugbade was the skipper of Nigeria's first ever World Cup winning U17 team which lifted the trophy at the inaugural tournament in 1985.