NFF appoints Finidi George as new Super Eagles head coach

The Nigeria Football Federation has designated Finidi George, former Super Eagles winger, as the new head coach of the senior men’s national team.

This announcement was made through a statement on Monday, following the approval of the NFF Board for the recommendation put forth by its Technical and Development Committee to entrust the leadership to the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward.

George, who previously served as an assistant to outgoing coach José Santos Peseiro for 20 months, took on the role of interim coach after Peseiro’s departure following the Super Eagles’ impressive run to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

During his interim tenure, George managed two friendly matches in Morocco last month. The team ended an 18-year winless streak against Ghana with a 2-1 victory but faced a setback with a 0-2 loss to Mali.

“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 NFF statement read.

The statement also highlighted George’s illustrious playing career, including “gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments.”

Among George’s memorable moments was when he “assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994,” the statement noted.