Why Finidi got Super Eagles job – NFF

Director of Communications, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ademola Olajide, has revealed the reasons behind the soccer house’s decision to appoint Finidi George as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.

Finidi’s appointment was confirmed last week by the NFF.

The 53-year-old was selected ahead of other top coaches, local and expatriate, who applied for the job.

The former international was formerly one of the assistants to Jose Peseiro, the erstwhile handler of the team.

Finidi took charge of the team in an interim capacity for the friendlies against Ghana and Mali in March.

Olajire said his impressive track record and experience working with Peseiro made him a standout choice for the job.

“I’m not a member of the Technical Committee but I can also look at a lot of positives around Finidi George,” Olajire told Hotsports.

He said: “Finidi George was not only a great football player; he has prepared himself very well and done himself no harm with the laurels he has been able to acquire in his short period as a coach. He had the option of remaining in Spain and taking up an appointment with a second-tier club but he chose to come back to Nigeria and start with an NPFL club.

“He started with Enyimba. In his second season, he won the league title. It is not easy to win the league title so we must praise him for that. Looking at the log now, this is his third season with the team and with four matches to go, he’s well on the way to retaining the title. That is no mean feat and it shows that this is a man who knows what he’s doing.

“Pertaining to the Super Eagles, he worked for twenty months as an assistant with Jose Peseiro; that gives him a head start over anybody. He worked closely with the team, was with the team when they qualified for the AFCON and came in second at the AFCON.

“It’s natural that someone of this stature, someone who has accomplished these things and who has been very close to the team, gets the nod, given that we have only five weeks to play very important matches.”

Finidi’s first official assignment with the Super Eagles will be the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin in June.

The Super Eagles have yet to record a win in the qualifying series, drawing their opening two games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.