Nigeria looks set to miss out on Herve Renard as Egyptian FA open negotiations with him

NIGERIA appears to have missed out on securing the services of French coach Herve Renard after it emerged that he and the Egyptian Football Association are in advanced talks about him taking over as the new manager of The Pharaohs.

Egypt has just sacked its head coach Rui Vitória after the Pharaohs got knocked out of the African Cup of Nations in the Round f 16 by the Democratic Republic of Congo. With World Cup qualifiers looming, the Egyptian FA has wasted on time in contacting Renard, the current coach of France’s women’s national team to take over as their new manager with immediate effect.

Currently in Ivory Coast watching the tournament, Renard is renowned for his African successes,. having led the national teams of with Zambia and Ivory Coast to lifting the Nations Cup. However, he remains committed to fulfilling his contractual obligations with the French FA, which includes competing in the forthcoming Olympics Games, so there may be some stumbling blocks to securing an immediate deal.

Egypt is nor the only nation eyeing Mr Renard’s services as Algeria and Ghana have also expressed keen interest in securing his expertise. Nigeria's Football Federation had been asked to make contact with him too as the ideal person to take over the team at the end of the Nations Cup when current coach Jose Peseiro is expected to leave.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials have apparently offered Mr Peseiro a new two-year contract extension following the team’s impressive performance in the African Cup of Nations. Mr Peseiro’s current contract is set to expire at the end of the tournament but it is believed that he will not renew his deal as there is too much bad blood between both sides.

Prior to the Nations Cup, there were speculations about Mr Peseiro’s future with the team, fuelled by the team’s less-than-ideal start to the World Cup qualifiers. Mr Peseiro’s initial one-year contract expired last July and a new deal was eventually agreed upon, ending at the end of the Nations Cup.

However, the extended negotiations were marked by the NFF proposing a revised contract that included a salary cut, reducing the coach’s earnings to $60,000 from $70,000. Despite the NFF’s eagerness to retain Mr Peseiro, financial constraints have necessitated the significant salary adjustment proposal and this has left the coach dissatisfied.

While there are whispers of potential alternative job offers for Mr Peseiro, particularly from Egypt, it remains uncertain whether he will sign the new deal. However, the decision to offer the coach a new two-year contract after he met the ultimatum of a semi-final at the African Cup of Nations has been taken up by the NFF.

Now, the ball is in the coach’s court but it is very unlikely that he will sign the contract due to the pay cut. He feels he should get an improved salary and believes the deduction is not an appreciation of the work he has been doing with the team.

Apparently, Mr Peseiro is being courted by some clubs, especially in North Africa. One source close to the coach said that f he wins the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria, he may leave the Eagles.