Former Super Eagles assistant coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has responded to what he describes as “misleading media reports” following his application for the national team coaching position.
Amuneke was a leading candidate for the Eagles’ job but ultimately lost out to his former teammate George Finidi after the Nigeria Football Federation appointed the Enyimba coach as the successor to Jose Peseiro.
Leading up to the NFF’s decision, the media was filled with reports suggesting that Amuneke had a strained relationship with NFF officials, particularly during his tenure with the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles.
These reports also alleged that he played a role in inciting a pay strike among the Flying Eagles players, resulting in their failure to qualify for the 2017 U-20 AFCON.
Additionally, another report accused Amuneke of engaging in unethical conduct, claiming direct involvement in the transfer of several Golden Eaglets players under his management.
“They succeeded in smearing my name in the media because of the Eagles job,” Amuneke, a former African Player of The Year, said.
“All those allegations made in the media online because of the Eagles job are obviously not true, but those who recommended candidates for the job know I will not be easily bullied. I know there is still bad blood with these officials, but its fine,” he added.
At 53 years old, he guided Tanzania to their first Africa Cup of Nations appearance since 1980, achieved during the 2019 edition of the tournament. Additionally, he has coaching experience with the Egyptian club Misr El-Makkasa.
Furthermore, he notably led Nigeria to victory at the 2015 U-17 World Cup in Chile, securing their fifth championship title in the tournament’s history.
In his playing career, he earned an Olympic gold medal in 1996. Notably, two years prior, he played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s second AFCON title win by scoring a brace.
