Finidi George named Nigeria’s Super Eagles head coach

Voice Air Media, VAM News Update

THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board has greenlit the recommendation from its Technical and Development Committee to appoint Finidi George as the head coach of the Super Eagles.

Finidi George served as assistant to coach José Santos Peseiro for 20 months before Peseiro voluntarily stepped down following the Super Eagles’ runner-up position at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire 2023 and took on the interim coaching role during two recent friendly matches in Morocco.

In the first match, his team clinched a 2-1 victory over Ghana, breaking an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but faced a setback in the second match, losing 0-2 to Mali.

A part of the famed ‘Golden Generation’ that secured the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia and made a significant impact in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup in the USA the same year, George boasts 62 caps for Nigeria.

His international career includes appearances in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, as well as winning medals from various AFCON tournaments.

George, aged 52 and a former player for Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis, commenced his scoring journey for Nigeria in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos, on July 27, 1991.

Notably, he assisted Rashidi Yekini in scoring Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA, on June 19, 1994.

His appointment comes with the immediate task of steering the Super Eagles to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively.

The team currently sits in third place in Group C of the African campaign, trailing behind Rwanda and South Africa, making these upcoming matches imperative.