Finidi George appointed Super Eagles coach

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Finidi George as the Head Coach of the country’s men national team Super Eagles.

This was made known via a statement issued by the NFF Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, on Monday, April 29, 2024.

Olajire said the NFF approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint George.

The ace winger spent 20 months as assistant to Jose Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily left the post after guiding the team to silver medal at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.

George took charge of the squad in acting capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.

His squad edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but lost 2-0 to Mali in the second game.

George was a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia.

The team also emerged the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup in USA the same year.

Peseiro resigns as Super Eagles coach

George won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.

He also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments.

The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward made a scoring debut for fatherland in an AFCON qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos, on July 27, 1991.

He also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe.

He assisted late Rashidi Yekini to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA, on June 19, 1994.

George scored the goal that took Nigeria to that FIFA World Cup debut when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on October 8, 1993.

The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.

George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, in over five weeks.

The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.

The Star