The Nigeria Football Federation has entrusted the leadership of the nation’s senior men’s national team to former Super Eagles winger Finidi George.
In a statement released on Monday, the NFF Board confirmed the appointment, endorsing the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward, as reported by The Punch.
Having served as an assistant to outgoing coach José Santos Peseiro for 20 months, George assumed the role of interim coach following Peseiro’s departure after the Super Eagles’ commendable journey to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
During his interim tenure, George guided the team through two friendly matches in Morocco last month. The matches saw the end of an 18-year winless streak against Ghana with a 2-1 victory before a 0-2 loss to Mali.
Quoting the NFF statement, George is described as a member of the ‘Golden Generation’ that secured victory in 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 the USA the same year.
He boasts 62 caps for Nigeria, including appearances at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.
Highlighting his illustrious playing career, the statement celebrates George’s collection of gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
“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 statement read in parts.
With immediate challenges ahead, the new Super Eagles boss is tasked with leading the team to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, within the next five weeks.
The NFF statement underscored the importance of these matches, deeming them must-win encounters as the Super Eagles currently trail behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign, lagging behind Rwanda and South Africa.
