FORMER Nigeria international Finidi George has been appointed as the head coach of the Super Eagles following weeks of speculation.
The board of Nigeria Football Federation today approved Finidi as the head coach of the men’s senior national team on the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee, the governing body noted.
Finidi, who led Enyimba to the Nigeria Premier Football League last season, took temporary charge of the Super Eagles last month when they played two friendly matches in Morocco against Ghana and Mali, winning the first one 2-1 and losing the second 2-0.
The former Super Eagles winger spent 20 months as assistant to Jose Peseiro before the Portuguese left the post after leading the three-time champions to the Africa Cup of Nations final in Cote d’Ivoire in February, where they lost 2-1 to the hosts.
The 52-year-old Finidi George was a key member of the ‘Golden Generation’ of the Super Eagles 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.
He won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups. He also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
At club level, Finidi began his career in Nigeria, playing for Calabar Rivers and Sharks before heading off to Ajax where he developed into one of the best right wingers in Europe.
He helped Ajax to win three back-to-back Dutch top flight titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996 as well as the UEFA Champions League trophy in 1995.
Finidi was also pivotal in Ajax reaching the Champions League final in 1996, where they lost to Juventus.
He joined Real Betis from Ajax in 1996 and inspired them to the Copa del Rey final, staying at the Spanish club for four successful years.
Finidi’s first assignment as Super Eagles head coach will be to guide the team to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively in June.
The matches are must-win encounters, after Super Eagles began the campaign with consecutive 1-1 draws with Lesotho at home and Zimbabwe away.
