Former Super Eagles coach Berti Vogts was considered ahead of Philippe Troussier who was also a one time former coach of the Nigerian national team for the Azerbaijan coaching job.
Vogts was at the weekend confirmed by the Azeibajan football board as the new coach to replace Macedonian Gjoko Hadzievski who was sacked in the wake of the national team’s poor showing in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.
But from available facts the German, who left Nigeria in acrimony last month following the Eagles’ atrocious Nations Cup campaign, was considered the right man to handle Azerbaijan from a shortlist that included the widely travelled Troussier.
Troussier was in charge of the Eagles from April-September 1997 and successfully plotted the team through France 98 qualifying campaign before losing his job after he fell out with the sports authority.
Interestingly, Troussier declined an offer to return to Nigeria in 2005 to take charge of the Eagles’ sinking German 2006 campaign because he doubted the team’s chances to overcome the odds.
He was approached by Nigeria Football Association (NFA) sponsor, Globacom which later appointed and was responsible for Vogts’ salaries as well as his severance package for the 11 months he spent in Nigeria.
Vogts will now sign a two- year contract later this week to help lift the football fortunes of Azerbaijan which occupies a lowly 119th position in the world, just ahead of Liechtenstein but behind Burkina Faso. The German will be tasked with guiding the country through a difficult 2010 UEFA qualifying group.
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