Nigerian football icon Segun Odegbami has advised former Super Eagles striker Samson Siasia to reconsider pursuing the national team coaching role at this time.

This follows Siasia’s expression of interest in managing the Super Eagles again after serving a five-year suspension imposed by FIFA.

Siasia, now eligible to return to coaching after being banned for match-fixing allegations, has voiced his readiness to lead the Super Eagles once more. The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has yet to fill the head coach position, left vacant for two months after former winger Finidi George’s departure.

In an interview with Kennis 104.1FM’s , Siasia said,

“I am not a messiah, but we need to sit down and identify our priorities. We will see how things unfold.”

Siasia, who has twice coached the Super Eagles, was dismissed after his first stint in 2011 following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. His second tenure in 2016 was brief, acting as an interim coach after Sunday Oliseh’s resignation. However, he has found success with Nigeria’s youth teams, taking the U20s to the World Youth Championship final and winning Olympic silver and bronze medals with the U23 team.

Despite Siasia’s accomplishments, Odegbami has urged caution, expressing concern that joining the NFF’s proposed coaching consortium for the upcoming matches against Rwanda and Benin Republic could damage Siasia’s reputation. “Should the team fail to win, his name will be added to the list of ‘failed’ Nigerian coaches, jeopardizing his future as Super Eagles head coach,” Odegbami wrote in his column.

The Super Eagles are set to begin their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign in September, with crucial matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda.