Enugu Rangers coach Fidelis Ilechukwu has promised not to take the Super Eagles assistant coaching job for granted after he was appointed alongside Remo Stars counterpart, Daniel Ogunmodede, by the Nigeria Football Federation to work with the Technical Director, Augustine Eguavoen, during the 2025 AFCON qualifying matches against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.
“Interim manager Augustine Eguavoen has selected Enugu Rangers’ head coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu, and Daniel Ogunmodede of Remo Stars to assist him in plotting the downfall of the Cheetahs of Benin Republic and the Amavubi of Rwanda in the Super Eagles’ 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches this month,” the NFF announced in a statement on Monday.
According to the NFF, they will be joined in the team’s camp in Uyo by Tomaz Zorec, a fitness trainer from Slovenia, goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa, and match analyst Eboboritse Uwejamomere.
“A call to serve Nigeria and an opportunity for more hard work, and we will never take this for granted. Thank you for the good wishes and the congratulatory messages. I’m humbled,” Ilechukwu said in an X post on Monday while also congratulating his NPFL colleague Ogunmodede.
After being rumoured to handle the games, Eguavoen became the last resort of the NFF, following the inability of the Federation to secure German coach Bruno Labbadia, who turned down the Super Eagles’ job over stringent German tax laws.
Before Labbadia came into the picture, Ilechukwu had also been rumoured as one of the local assistants for Eguavoen, and the Rangers gaffer expressed his readiness to take the offer.
“I never can tell what is going on. I am a coach, and I am open to the national team job to contribute positively. If they call me, I will be there,” Ilechukwu told our correspondent before his appointment.
Last season, Ilechukwu guided Enugu Rangers to their eighth Nigeria Premier Football League title, topping the table with 70 points, while Ogunmodede’s Remo finished second with five points behind Rangers.
The Super Eagles camp opened in Uyo on Monday as they prepare to take on the Benin Republic at home on Saturday before travelling to Rwanda for their second game, which comes up on Tuesday.
AFCON Qualifiers: Eagles job thrills Ilechukwu, Ogunmodede
