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FC Robo Queens owner Emmanuel Osahon has asked Super Falcons interim head coach Augustine Eguavoen for patience, insisting that the experienced tactician needs enough time to impose his ideas as Nigeria begins its qualification campaign for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Eguavoen’s first competitive assignment with the women’s national team comes on Friday, when the Super Falcons take on the Comoros in the first leg of the second round of Olympic qualifying at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo.
Osahon, who previously backed the Nigerian Football Federation’s decision to appoint Eguavoen, believes expectations must be balanced with the reality that the coach has only had a short period to work with his players.
He cautioned against judging the new technical provision solely by immediate performance, stressing that implementing a new philosophy and developing understanding within the team takes time.
Eguavoen was appointed on an interim basis in September and is assisted by Christopher Danjuma, Ayisat Yusuf and Olatunji Baruwa.
Their preparations have also been complicated by the availability of players. Twenty-one players were in camp on Tuesday, while Asisat Oshoala and Ashleigh Plumptre were among those unavailable for the tie.
Oluwatosin Demehin and Flourish Sabastine were also ruled out, while youngsters Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Favor Nkwocha were loaned to the Flamingos.
Despite those challenges, Nigeria is expected to overcome Comoros, who reached the second round after an extraordinary 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan. Both matches will be played in Ikenne on October 9 and 13 because Comoros does not have a CAF-approved venue.
The Super Falcons face a long road to Los Angeles, with Nigeria needing to negotiate four knockout rounds to secure one of Africa’s two Olympic tickets. Victory over Comoros would set up a third-round meeting with Morocco or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
For Osahon, therefore, the immediate goal is qualification, but the bigger picture is to allow Eguavoen to build.
His message heading into Friday is simple: demand results from the Super Falcons, but give their new coach enough time to create the team capable of consistently achieving them.
