Sports
Finidi George Appointed As Super Eagles New Head coach
Former Super Eagles winger Finidi George has been appointed as the new head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team.
The announcement was made in a statement on Monday, following the approval of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board and its Technical and Development Committee.
Finidi George, a 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward, had previously served as an assistant to outgoing coach José Santos Peseiro for 20 months.
After Peseiro’s departure, George took on the role of interim coach and led the team to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire. During his interim tenure, George guided the team to a 2-1 victory against Ghana, ending an 18-year winless streak, but also suffered a 0-2 loss to Mali in friendly matches held in Morocco last month.
“George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged as the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals,” the NFF statement read.
Reflecting on his successful career as a player, George’s accomplishments were highlighted in the statement. These achievements include winning gold, silver, and bronze medals from the AFCON tournaments in 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002.
The statement also mentioned one of George’s most memorable moments, which was assisting Rashidi Yekini (may he rest in peace) in scoring Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on June 19, 1994.
As the new head coach of the Super Eagles, George’s immediate task will be to lead the team to victory in two crucial qualifying matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. These matches will be against South Africa and the Benin Republic, taking place in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, within the next five weeks.
The NFF statement emphasized the importance of these matches, stating that they are must-win encounters for the Super Eagles. Currently, the team is in third place in Group C of the African campaign, trailing behind Rwanda and South Africa.
