Eguavoen lacks grace — Taribo

Former Nigerian international Taribo West says Augustine Eguavoen possesses techniques but lacks grace, which is preventing him from achieving success with the Super Eagles.

Eguavoen, who also serves as the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Director, was handed the reins of the senior men’s national team after the deal with the proposed German coach, Bruno Labbadia, fell through.

This is the 59-year-old’s fourth stint in charge of the team, having previously managed the dugout from 2005 to 2007, in 2010, and again in 2022.

In his first stint, Eguavoen led the team to third place at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, and despite winning all three group games at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, the team crashed out of the tournament in the round of 16 following a narrow defeat to Tunisia.

Eguavoen’s tenure has often been defined by near misses. Under his watch, the Eagles narrowly failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after crashing out on goal aggregate to Ghana.In his fourth and current spell, the team has started their 2025 AFCON qualifiers on a bright note, claiming four points from a possible six. But Taribo believes there is an element missing from Eguavoen’s coaching approach.

Speaking on Brila FM’s ‘No Holds Barred with Ifeanyi Udeze’, Taribo, founder of the Shelter in The Storm Miracle Ministry, said, “Anytime Eguavoen leads the team, he brings a certain touch, taking the team back to those glorious days.

“In major tournaments, where you expect them to cross the line, something always happens. What Eguavoen is lacking is only grace.”

While West acknowledged that Eguavoen’s tactical approach often brings out the best in the players, he stressed that results haven’t consistently followed.

“The team will play well, but the results won’t favour them,” said West.

He added, “I don’t see why we go for foreign coaches when we can invest more in our local coaches.”

Eguavoen, who recently denied stepping down as the interim coach of the team after the two 2025 AFCON qualifiers against the Benin Republic and Rwanda, is expected to remain in charge for their upcoming AFCON qualifying doubleheader against Libya in October.