http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/16025108.stm

Nigeria's Under-23 coach Austin Eguavoen has quit after failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The so-called 'Dream Team V' crashed out in the group stages of the qualifying tournament in Morocco after losing twice and winning just once.

The 46-year-old leaves after Nigeria, runners-up at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, finished third.

In a resignation letter, Eguavoen cited the qualifying failure for the London Games as his reason to quit.

"I hereby resign my post as coach of the national U23 team despite all the support I received from the NFF," Eguavoen told the NFF.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't make it. I think it's just honourable for me to resign after failing to meet the set targets."

In a press statement, the former Nigeria international thanked the NFF and fellow Nigerians for their support and the opportunity to serve.

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I thank every Nigerian for being there for me and giving me all the support needed
Austin Eguavoen
"I apologise to Nigerians for our disappointing outing. I had confidence in this team, unfortunately it didn't turn out the way we wanted. I am deeply sorry," Eguavoen was quoted as saying.

"My contract is tied to this tournament with a target of reaching at least the semi-finals of the Olympics in London, but I have failed in that target.

"I thank every Nigerian for being there for me and giving me all the support needed for this tournament."

Chris Green, the chairman of the NFF's technical committee, confirmed the receipt of Eguavoen's letter to BBC Sport.

The Olympic disappointment completed a dark year for football followers in Africa's most populous country after country and club failures.

In October, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

It marked the first time the Super Eagles had failed to qualify for a Nations Cup finals since the 1986 edition in Egypt.

Meanwhile, the Super Falcons, the most successful womens side in Africa, failed to qualify for the 2011 All Africa Games as well as the London Olympics.

And they may have won the world cup trophy thrice but Nigeria's under-17 side could not even qualify for the African championship.

In August, the Flying Eagles then lost in the quarter-final of the Under-20 World Cup in Colombia - while at club level, both Enyimba and Sunshine Stars made semi-final exits in the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup respectively.

na wa o! Why did he quit? What a coward the man is. He cant face his problems squarely and with bravery just like blatter. How the hell does he want to correct his mistakes and get the street cred?

Commendable. Nigerians should learn to be like this, either you deliver or quit.

@Mikuz, he would have been fired anyways for not meeting the terms of his contract, just like Siasia.

they would have quitted him all the same. Good luck bro. I believe Nigeria football is under scientific attack

If our politicians can start acting this honorably the way Egwavuan has done, then I think Nigeria will been a whole lot better in the nearest possible time.

It is only in Africa you find our people fail and don't perform yet they hold on to the position like it is their birth rite.

This year alone we saw leaders of Japan, Greece and even Italy step down when they couldn't meet the demands of their people.

A good one for Egwavuan. But I still think the entire NFF board should all resign, because these whole coaches can't be so terrible (as most of them have had wonderful track records in the past. I.e; Siasia). There is something absolutely wrong (physical or spiritual) in that Glass house.

Nigerians should force ALL of them to resign. Let's start our reforms of this great country Nigeria on them.

Football is the only thing that keep Nigerians going, and since we have lost it, then what next? SO SAD!

before nko? smart move

What happens to the pot belle boys called "Dream Team 5" aren't they quitting too. Agreed that Eguavoen failed, it is the boys who had opportunity to do us proud that disappointed us the most.  Life is not jut fair. I understand that the coach takes the bulk of the blame when his team fails to win, I am saying "Is it fair to put all the blame on him".

The best action

Hopefully our politicians can learn how to quit/resign after failing to meet set targets.

Austin Eguavon has made me proud. That is what a man should do. Our politicians should take note.

Hahahaha, I have always told peeps to look the other way in terms of nigeria football, why would they keep breaking their fans heart again and again, as for Eguavoen I regard him as an honorable gentleman, only if our leaders would emulate hIs action whenever nigerians believe they've failed

Nigeria football is jinx. Infact, na all aspect of Nigeria sector.

Echala:

@Mikuz, he would have been fired anyways for not meeting the terms of his contract, just like Siasia.

spot on.

Please please u guys should hold on,

This is not an honourable move but a tactical move to avoid the shame of his inevitable sack which was looming over his head already,

Please dont lets be fooled abeg, he must have been hinted by his NFF Inside sources to take the action as a final option above been sacked,
Honourable my foot,

Kilode?!:

Hopefully our politicians can learn how to quit/resign after failing to meet set targets.

They won't quit when they know what is coming into their pocket every single day, Najia we dey try,

checkout TB Joshua's shocking comment on the match

www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-817741.0.html

this guy is smart. he just lleft honourably rather than bein jettisoned shamefully , at least his pride still intact. yu get sense bro

If na u ,u nogo quit?
Nigeria :
bunch of failures

For Eguavoen it is right to quit such an important position at the instance of failure but in the case of Nigerian football at this time it is too simplistic.

If a part of a functional system is bad it is removed. If the system is dysfunctional you sit back and analyse first. The former is what local mechanics do taking rash decisions that ruin vehicles. The NFF should suspend his notice and get him debriefed properly so that they know what exactly went wrong with a view to correcting things going forward. That is why they are given structured contracts running to the end of tournaments.

The circus of Siasia's exit did not produce any credible information that Keshi could use hence some past errors are already manifesting.

But I guess since his employers rarely know better this may sit fine with them, a fall guy so they may continue to grope around and tinker like our local clueless mechanics.

Good move.

What about the useless NFF   Is't it time for them to quit? And Jonathan does He not understand that sports is part of the 'TRANSFORMATION'  of Nigeria? What has he done or is doing about the drastic decline in sports generally since He took over the helms of my beloved country?

As for Eguavoen, He did the right thing by stepping aside, I guess Obuh was right whe He called for the whole U20s' that played the last world cup to be kept together as a 'TEAM'. Those guys made me proud and gave me hope that Nigeria football wasn't dead afterall but this useless NFF having nothing to offer other than failures!

speak2me:

Please please u guys should hold on,

This is not an honourable move but a tactical move to avoid the shame of his inevitable sack which was looming over his head already,

Please dont lets be fooled abeg, he must have been hinted by his NFF Inside sources to take the action as a final option above been sacked,
Honourable my foot,  

Stranger things have happened in Nigeria. How many other Nigerians will offer to resign in this manner?

Omo_Tier1:

I guess Obuh was right whe[b] He called for the whole U20s' that played the last world cup to be kept together as a 'TEAM'[/b]. Those guys made me proud and gave me hope that Nigeria football wasn't dead afterall but this useless NFF having nothing to offer other than failures!

Those guys were largely well over 20 years of age and their age is already beginning to show

The guy shuld be ban by the president 4rm coachin any Nigeria national team and also 4rm coachin within Nigeria either clubside or national team, he knws nothin abt coachin,dnt 4get dsame eguavoen lost d 1st match against Guinea in d ACN qualifiers.

Uncle Joe, Naa you remain they sacked sia 1, eguavoen quit GEJ what would be your move, Minister of petroleum your nko, finance I dey wait O!

Atleast it better not to get sacked

@speak2me, U̶̲̥̅̊ 2 much.Wetin una dey talk self?wetin honourable there?na nw him know say him no sabi anytin.after all d campn abroad,frndly matches,him still fail.now him quit,una say it is honourable.

When GEJ said he was banning the country from international football for two years we shouted and called him names, now finally we have banned ourselves from every international competition both male and female after spending so much money on all the travels and foreign training camps.
Disband NFF now and focus on improving the local league where talents can be nurtured remember Eguavoen, Keshi, Amochachi, Siasia all started from the local league before becoming international stars.

He was told even before the match against algeria that win-or-lose, he was going to be sacked, so i suspect they had some backdoor meeting to make it honourable and call it a resignation.

A Nigerian team has not played that badly in a long while. After a month of camping the boys still played like they just met at the next bus stop 15 minutes to the match.

Eguavon is a failure, though his propects with the NFF still look brighter than siasia's because though sia1 is a much better coach, eguavon is a good "yes man" in the hands of football authorities.

na_so:

He was told even before the match against algeria that win-or-lose, he was going to be sacked, so i suspect they had some backdoor meeting to make it honourable and call it a resignation.

A Nigerian team has not played that badly in a long while. After a month of camping the boys still played like they just met at the next bus stop 15 minutes to the match.

Eguavon is a failure, though his propects with the NFF still look brighter than siasia's because though sia1 is a much better coach, eguavon is a good "yes man" in the hands of football authorities.

Exactly to avoid public disgrace and consequences.

So he jumped before he was pushed. . . nice