When you are named a caretaker manager just four weeks before the most important tournament and you are one of the favorites, it surely brings a lot of pressure. So when Nigeria’s Augustine Eguavoen says he has trouble sleeping at night, it’s easy to understand why. Former Super Eagles defender, a member of 1994 and 1998 World Cup squads has become the caretaker manager for the third time. First time it happened from 2005-2007 prior to another stint as caretaker coach in 2010, but this time is more difficult.He may not be fit enough to play for Napoli, but he won’t be kept away from AFCONCovid pandemic, which won’t stop any time soon, is taking it’s tool on the team as well as AFCON itself, and on top of that, European clubs don’t want to release players on time, due to their overcrowded schedules. So, it’s sleepless nights for Equavoen.”It’s tough. I don’t sleep well because of expectations, but I know not everybody; how do I put it now. There are people out there who want us to succeed, there are few people out there who are also in doubt, but we will do everything humanly possible to stick together- the team- the entire federation, officials. And we will do what we can to make sure we put smiles on the faces of Nigerians” Eguavoen told NFF TV.AFCON: Senegal after their first Cup of Nations trophySome managers of top European clubs with African players have criticized the timing of AFCON, with the fourth wave of COVID-19 creating more fears. Eguavoen is worried because he has a list and if he doesn’t release it, then it will be difficult for him to put a team together before the AFCON kick-offs on January 9.“Yes, of course, everyone should be bothered because there is a list out there and if you don’t release the majority how do you put a team together. I remember in 2011 just before the Olympic games London 2012, we won all the games, blowing teams up 5-1 like that and 95 percent of the players were from Europe, players like Nosa Igiebor, Nnamdi Oduamadi. But when it was time to go to Morocco (for the U-23 AFCON) out of the players who featured during the qualifiers for the U-23 AFCON, I only got like five of them, so it was a problem. So if European clubs are now saying we can’t release them, it will be a problem and to put another team together at this time would be tough” explained Eguavoen.
