NFF appoints Finidi George as Head Coach of the Super Eagles. On Monday the Board of Nigeria Football Federation finally approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint former winger Finidi George as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles.
Finidi George had already spent 20 months as assistant to José Santos Peseiro before he voluntarily vacated the post following the outcome of the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations at Cote d’Ivoire 2023. Finidi took charge of the squad in an interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.
His team ended an 18-year losing run against the Black Stars by defeating Ghana 2-1 in the opening game, but they were defeated 0-2 by Mali in the second encounter.
Also see: Ekerette Udom puts the icing on the cake in a 3-1 win over Plateau United
Why Finidi George as Head Coach of Super Eagles
George, who won 62 caps for Nigeria and appeared in both the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, is regarded as a member of the ‘Golden Generation,’ the team that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and finished as the second-most entertaining team in Nigeria’s inaugural FIFA World Cup finals in the USA that same year. In addition, he took home gold, silver, and bronze from the AFCON competitions in 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002.
Before traveling to Europe, the 52-year-old forward, who previously played for Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain), scored his first goal for his country on July 27, 1991, in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium in Lagos. He also made appearances for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic league. On June 19, 1994, in Dallas, Texas, he helped Rashidi Yekini (may his memory be blessed) score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria.
George’s goal on October 8, 1993, in a pivotal qualifier in Algiers against hosts Algeria, was the one that sent Nigeria to its first FIFA World Cup. Nigeria advanced to the American finals after the game finished 1-1.
The Future With Finidi George
In just over five weeks, George’s first assignment will be to lead the Super Eagles to success in their two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively. The Super Eagles, now third in Group C of the African campaign behind South Africa and Rwanda, have to win these games.
Although NFF appoints Finidi George as Head Coach of the Super Eagles, there are assumptions that it’s too early to hand him full control of the team steering wheel and, at the same time too quick to judge or write him off given the fact that he is an indigenous coach and a Super Eagles legend. Now all we can do is wait to see his decisions and throw our weight behind his course, hoping his efforts bring home bragging rights for Super Eagle supporters.