Nigeria’s camp opened on Monday in Uyo, with 11 Eagles and the interim coaches already present ahead of the crucial AFCON 2025 qualifiers.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have experienced one disaster after another following a commendable second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in February.
What many thought would be a strong foundation for future successes crumbled quickly, beginning with the departure of head coach Jose Peseiro in March. Peseiro’s contract expired, and despite surpassing the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) target of a semi-final AFCON finish, the football body didn’t extend his contract.
A section of Nigeria’s football enthusiasts felt it was a good move, given the Portuguese’s “haram-style” of play. His results didn’t really matter—our darling Super Eagles, who have one of the world’s best attacking talents, were turned into a defensive side even against African opposition.
Jose Peseiro speaking at a press conference at AFCON 2023.
The NFF’s decision to part ways with Peseiro was seen as the first step in what was expected to be a deliberate and comprehensive search for a new head coach. But with the international window fast approaching, the team needed a temporary solution. It was no surprise when Peseiro’s assistant, Finidi George, was appointed as interim coach for Nigeria’s friendlies against Mali and Ghana. George gave Nigerians a brag-worthy 2-1 victory over the Black Stars before the Super Eagles were completely outwitted by Les Aigles in a 2-0 defeat on March 27.
From any angle, George’s interim performance was a 50/100 effort, making a strong case for his permanent appointment. The appointment as Nigeria’s 35th head coach eventually came on April 29, making him the 14th local head coach of the three-time African champions.
As one of Nigeria’s most celebrated wingers and a title-winning coach with Enyimba, George initially garnered significant support and trust from stakeholders. However, his short stint at the helm—marked by unprofessional media utterances and a disastrous two-match FIFA World Cup qualifier—became a chapter many wish could be erased from Nigeria’s football history.
The fallout from George’s brief tenure has left a lasting impact, threatening Nigeria’s chances of making back-to-back World Cup appearances. To be fair, the team’s World Cup qualification woes weren’t solely George’s doing. Peseiro had already set the stage with two consecutive draws before George’s draw and loss to South Africa and the Benin Republic in June further dimmed Nigeria’s prospects.
This brought the Super Eagles back to square one after George resigned amid an imminent power shift in the dressing room. Seventy-three days later, the NFF announced German coach Bruno Labbadia as the Eagles’s new manager ahead of the side’s AFCON 2025 qualifiers against Benin Republic on Saturday, September 7, and Rwanda on Tuesday, September 10.
Labbadia’s announcement met mixed reactions, but no one imagined the German wouldn’t be at the reins for Nigeria’s opening AFCON qualifiers. Tax details allegedly caused the deal to collapse, forcing the NFF’s technical adviser, Augustine Eguavoen, to take charge of the qualifiers on an interim basis.
The memory of Eguavoen’s last stint as Nigeria’s coach is still fresh, but he’s currently Nigeria’s last-minute resort. Rangers International’s Fidelis Ilechukwu and Remo Stars’ Daniel Ogunmodede were announced as interim assistant coaches on Monday, as Super Eagles players resumed training camp in Uyo.
With the team still reeling from past disappointments and a fanbase that demands nothing short of excellence, Eguavoen and his team need to rise to the occasion and seize the commencement of the AFCON qualifiers as a clean slate after a period of turmoil.
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