Former Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane revealed that Nigerian legend Jay-Jay Okocha and the Nigerian Football Federation begged him to accept the position of Super Eagles coach.
Since José Peseiro’s departure, the Super Eagles coaching position has been a hot topic until Finidi George was appointed.
Before Finidi George’s appointment, the NFF approached several top coaches, including former Al Ahly coach Mosimane.
Mosimane stated that he had discussions with the NFF about the Super Eagles coaching role but declined the offer.
Following Mosimane’s revelation, he was approached by a representative of the NFF and former Nigerian international Jay-Jay Okocha.
According to SNAWA, Mosimane said, “Calls were coming from Nigeria, talks were there. Jay-Jay Okocha was leading that project, he was begging me.
“But you know, South Africa and Nigeria were in the same group. It’s not nice, it’s unpatriotic because I want to see my team in the World Cup. But also, a job is a job. You can never deny a chance to coach Chukwueze, Osimhen, these players are amazing, these guys are the best talents in the world.
“In my opinion, Nigeria struggles with the system or the way of playing. The problem is when there are too many good footballers. It’s almost like Brazil where there’s too much talent and the coach doesn’t even know who to play and where.
“The coach is impatient when the game doesn’t look good, and you bring someone else on the bench. There’s no patience.
“I didn’t consider the Nigeria job because of my emotional attachment to South Africa. Nigeria never put an agreement on the table, it was just talks, they only called me from the Federation.
“In football, a contract has to be on the table and signed. If that doesn’t actually happen, then there’s no agreement,” he said.
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