I can make Super Eagles best team in Africa, says CAR head coach

Raoul Savoy, the head coach of the Central African Republic (CAR) men’s national football team has claimed to be capable of making the Super Eagles of Nigeria the best team in Africa if appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Savoy who is in his second stint as Les Fauves coach following his reappointment in August 2021 said the recent foreign coaches that have managed the Super Eagles were likely not a good fit for the three-time African champions who currently boast the most valuable squad in Africa.

“I don’t know why the national team is not doing well. Maybe the expatriate coaches you are taking don’t really know Africa and maybe they are not really good for the team,’’ the Swiss told Brilla FM.

With six wins, nine losses and three draws in his last 18 matches as CAR’s coach, Savoy said he and his technical crew can steer the wheels of the Super Eagles towards greater heights.

“I’m sure I can tell you now that if I take this team with my technical staff, we are going to do very good things and maybe again be one of the better teams in Africa,” Savoy said. “I don’t know why they made the strange decision, they took some coaches I don’t know but after they tried, they left. If they give me the team, I can promise to make Nigeria a great team in Africa.”

Two games into Finidi George’s role as Nigeria’s head coach, the ex-Enyimba gaffer stepped down after the NFF decided to appoint a foreign technical adviser to oversee his operations. Although the NFF haven’t confirmed George’s departure, reports indicate they’re actively searching for a foreign tactician to save the Eagles’ 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes.

Despite Savoy’s interest in the position, the 51-year-old said his contract with CAR Football Federation ethically restricts him from submitting a formal application.

“I can’t apply when I am under contract with another national team, it’s not fair but in football normally when you want somebody and you are sure that this guy or the technical staff is the better one for your team, you can just make a call and then we can talk, but I don’t want to talk when I’m under contract, it is not fair,” the Swiss coach added.

Savoy oversaw 10 matches in his first stint as Les Fauves manager where he won two games, drew five, and lost three between July 2017 and March 2019. He had previously managed The Gambia and a couple of clubs in Switzerland before then.