The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has named Nigeria’s interim coach Augustine Eguavoen the best manager at the group stage of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.
CAF announced this on its website after AFCON 2021 group stage, saying that its Technical Study Group shortlisted the Best of the Group Stage.
He was awarded for winning the three matches at the group stage. In Augustine Eguavoen, Nigeria is relying on an interim appointment to lead them at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, albeit a familiar face who knows what it takes to be a continental champion.
Eguavoen-led Nigerian team have been outstanding at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria had eased into the Round of 16 as group leaders, with a match to spare, courtesy of the wins over Egypt and Sudan in their two matches and the combination of other results, notably Egypt’s defeat of Guinea Bissau on Saturday.
Eguavoen, 56, had been working as the Nigeria Football Federation’s technical director before being asked to replace Rohr and fill in on the bench until Portugal’s Jose Peseiro takes over.
The interim boss belongs to a golden generation of Nigerian players. He was stand-in captain as the team raced to victory in the 1994 Cup of Nations final against Zambia.
A defender, Eguavoen played alongside Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George, Daniel Amokachi, and Emmanuel Amunike, the last match-winner in 1994.
Nigeria also reached the last 16 of that year’s World Cup and Eguavoen later led the team to a third-place finish at the 2006 AFCON.