The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Augustine Eguavoen, former Super Eagles player and Technical Director, as the head coach for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
This change follows the unexpected withdrawal of German coach Bruno Labbadia.
Labbadia, earlier announced as the successor to Finidi George earlier this week, pulled out of the role due to unresolved tax issues with German authorities.
The NFF revealed late Friday via a statement on X that these tax concerns became the main stumbling block in finalizing Labbadia’s contract.
NFF President Ibrahim Gusau explained the situation, stating, “We have been on the tax issue for the past three days, and I told him clearly that there was no way the NFF will agree to offset the concomitant tax percentage on his salary that will be demanded by German tax authorities. It is not possible for us to shoulder the responsibility of shelling out another money, between 32% to 40% of his salary, after paying the agreed monthly wage.”
“The NFF and Mr. Labbadia reached an agreement in principle before we made the announcement that he would become the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The tax details were never part of our discussions, and he had personally agreed to all terms before the tax issue came up. We were doing our best to be flexible in the discussions but he was adamant that the NFF had to pay the full tax amount as well. We simply cannot do that,” Gusau further clarified.
As Eguavoen takes charge, the NFF has announced a 23-player squad for the qualifiers, featuring the return of key players like Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi, and stand-in captain William Troost-Ekong, all of whom had been sidelined due to injuries.
