How Jose Mourinho had a big hand in helping another coach secure a job with a top African team has now reportedly been revealed.
New Zimbabwe head coach Baltermar Brito admitted in August that Mourinho insisted that he apply for the job he now holds, having previously been an assistant coach to the Portuguese boss at Chelsea and FC Porto.
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It is said Mourinho also backed Brito when he was in the running for the Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila job back in 2020, with the now-Roma boss claiming back then that he would put his reputation on the line to say the his ex-assistant could take up the role.
Mourinho's influence now seems to have also worked wonders for current Nigeria manager Jose Peseiro, with an unnamed Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board member having now claimed that the man in charge was essentially only hired because of Mourinho's glowing recommendation of him.
"When we interviewed coaches for the jobs, Peseiro didn't do well like the duo of [Phillip] Cocu and Ernesto Valverde. His use of English was horrible," the board member told OwnGoalNigeria.com.
"Cocu fits our budget perfectly but the inclusion of Mourinho as one of his references worked for Peseiro. Valverde was too expensive for us.
"We called Mourinho and spoke with him. The then-NFF president Amaju Pinnick and former minister for Sports Sunday Dare were so excited with speaking with Mourinho and it clinched it for Peseiro."
Peseiro is now under fire in the Super Eagles job, however, with NFF executive committee member Nse Essien recently revealing that the organisation is not at all happy with coach following their two draws with Lesotho and Zimbabwe in their latest 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
According to Portuguese outlet Record, Essien said: "If we had the money, we would be determined to fire him.
"Everyone is calling for the coach to be fired. It's a shame that out of six possible points, we only have two. We are in a very difficult situation."
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It is believed that Peseiro is also looking for a way out of the Nigeria job, with Egyptian media claiming that he has submitted his application for the Zamalek head coach role, although he has himself insisted that he is currently only focused on his current role.
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