The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced former Super Eagles player and current caretaker manager Finidi George as the new head coach of the senior men’s national team, via a public statement on Monday.
The announcement of his appointment came after the NFF board approved the recommendation of the Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old who served as assistant to Jose Peseiro for the past 20 months.
Following Jose Peseiro’s departure in February, after leading the team to a silver medal-winning campaign at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire, Finidi, was the Eagles’ interim head coach for two international friendlies against Ghana and Mali in March.
He led the Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Ghana in his first game at the helm but lost 2-0 to Mali in the second game.
“The Board of Nigeria Football Federation on Monday approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint former ace winger Finidi George as Head Coach of the Senior Men National Football Team, Super Eagles,” the statement reads.
Finidi, known for his storied wing play, represented Nigeria at the highest level as a player for over a decade. He was part of the Eagles squad that won the 1994 AFCON and participated in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup that same year.
Reflecting on his illustrious playing career, the statement highlighted George’s achievements, which include “gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.”
One of George’s most memorable moments came when he “assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994,” the statement noted.
After retiring from football in 2004, Finidi acquired a UEFA A Coaching Licence. The qualification earned him roles in La Liga’s Real Betis and Real Mallorca as director of international football and youth team coach, respectively.
He joined Enyimba FC in 2021 and helped the club to its ninth Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title in 2023.
Finidi’s immediate task with the Super Eagles will be the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in June.
The Eagles drew their first two games of the campaign to Lesotho and Zimbabwe, lagging behind in third place in Group C.
