Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has given reasons why he accepted a pay cut rather than take a walk from the job.
Peseiro took charge of the Super Eagles in May 2021.
The Portuguese agreed a reduction to his salary this summer so that he could remain in charge of the three-time African champions.
The 63-year-old will lead the West Africans to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire in January.
Peseiro revealed that his players begged him to accept a pay cut to remain in charge of the team following the expiration of his contract in June.
The players pushed me to stay because they believe we can win (the AFCON),” he told Sky Sports.
“We can win it. The players know it. They come with the same energy, the same belief, to fight for the Super Eagles.”
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles are drawn in Group A of the 2024 Africa cup of Nations, with hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
The Super Eagles will take on Equatorial Guinea in their opening fixture at the Alhassan Quattara Stadium on Monday, January 14.
They will face Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau on January 18 and January 22 respectively. The team as part of shape up for the Nations Cup as well as World Cup qualifiers played a two-header friendly with Saudi Arabia and Mozambique respectively. while the tie against Saudi Arabia ended in a 2-2 draw the Eagles grabbed a 3-2 victory over the Mambas.
Peseiro has however warned his players they will need to be at their best to conquer the rest of the continent in Cote d’Ivoire next January.
“The main goal is to win the AFCON,” he added.
“We will need to be at our maximum because we know that there is good opposition. There are Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. But we believe we can do it. I believe. And the players believe.”
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