Finidi George becomes Super Eagles 14th Nigerian coach

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Findi George as the Super Eagles head coach, following the departure of Jose Peseiro in February.

George, who’s the current manager of the reigning champions of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Enyimba FC, becomes the ninth indigenous coach to take charge of the country’s senior men’s national team (on a permanent basis) after Sunday Oliseh in 2015.

The 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner who worked as Peseiro’s assistant for about 20 months, was tasked with managing the Super Eagles for friendly matches against Ghana and Mali in March.

He oversaw a 2-1 victory over the Black Stars and a 2-0 loss to the Les Aigles, which reportedly led to the NFF considering other profiles for the role.

However, the NFF in a statement on Monday said that coach George’s appointment was based on the recommendations from Technical and Development Committee of the football body, which contradicts earlier reports that Emmanuel Amuneke was the preferred indigenous profile for the role.

However, it’s unclear if George will relinquish his position as manager of Entimba, after leading the People’s Elephant to their ninth league title last season.

The 52-year-old’s first task will be to oversee the Super Eagles qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after missing out on the last edition under a local coach in Austin Eguavoen.

The three-time African champions will continue the qualifying fixtures by taking on South Africa and the Benin Republic in June.