The appointment of Finidi George as the new Super Eagles coach on Monday was greeted with mixed reactions but the task before the 53-year-old make it far from alluring, writes GODWIN AIKIGBE
The Nigeria Football Federation’s decision to appoint Finidi George as the new coach of the Super Eagles stunned some of the country’s teeming football populace; after a myriad of reports had indicated that fan favourite Emmanuel Amuneke was the leading candidate to replace the departed Jose Peseiro.
Some felt the Rivers-born tactician wasn’t deserving of the job following the Eagles performances in recent friendlies against West African rivals Ghana and Mali, an audition that had Finidi in charge on a temporary basis.
However, now is the time to deliver having been handed one of football’s most unpredictable jobs and Finidi must now meet high demands.
First up are the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and this coming after the Eagles failed to qualify for the last edition in Qatar two years ago. And he inherits a squad that drew their first two qualifiers for the ticket to USA, Canada and Mexico against less-fancied foes Lesotho at home and Zimbabwe away.
They are third in Group C with just two points behind leaders Rwanda (four points) and South Africa (three points) and must win their next game to stand a chance of picking a ticket from the group.
The NFF made this clear in a statement on its official website following his appointment on Monday.
“George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, in a little over five weeks. The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa,” the statement read.
Finidi will also be tasked with putting together a team capable of delivering a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title, improving on the second-place finish in Ivory Coast this year, when he was assistant to Peseiro.
But the former Ajax star must learn to deal smartly with his employers, the Nigeria Football Federation, so as not to end up like his contemporaries, Sunday Oliseh and Samson Siasia, who had several off-field issues with federation officials that affected on-field performances of their squads.
The NFF is noted for its age-old notoriety of interfering with the job of national team coaches, especially the Eagles and Finidi must stand his ground and standoff infiltrators if need be.
Former Nigerian defender Taju Disu has a word of advice for Finidi in this regard, while reacting to the news in a chat with Punch Sports Extra.
He said, “I wish him all the best; he should be himself and take control of the team. He should not be a stooge to NFF officials, otherwise he will have himself to blame. He has to be in control of the team and work with assistant coaches.
“I hope the NFF bigwigs will allow him; if they don’t let him work, he should not hesitate to say it out, regardless of what will happen.”
An area the new gaffer will need to also work on is the team’s pattern of play. The Eagles have been without a playing pattern for almost a decade, while foreign coaches majorly held the reins.
This was evident at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, with former team handler Peseiro relying solely on defensive tactics, thus rendering a proven goal scorer like Victor Osimhen ineffective.
The Portuguese coach had no Plan B, as the team was taken to the cleaners by Ivory Coast after they were exposed in the semi-finals by South Africa.
As an exciting winger in his playing days, he is expected to bring a new style of play — utilising and effectively managing the talented squad at his disposal as well as nurturing players in the Nigeria Professional Football League.
Finidi, who played under Clemens Westerhof , has the task of giving the team an identity just like the Dutchman did between 1989 and 1994, which saw Finidi hit the heights as one of the most globally acclaimed wingers.
The Eagles are currently low on confidence, reaching the AFCON final notwithstanding.
Finidi now must engage a psychologist to help boost the players ‘confidence ahead of the resumption of the World Cup qualifiers.
Obviously, African minnows, which Nigeria used to walk all over, now face them with their tails up. This scenario played out at the last AFCON, where the Eagles couldn’t string four passes together at a time and struggled against Angola and Equatorial Guinea before being trampled in the final by the Ivorian Elephants, who reached that stage with a stroke of luck.
This was also evident during the recent friendly matches against Ghana and Mali in Marrakech, Morocco, where the team defeated Ghana 2-1 on March 22 and capitulated 2-0 against Mali four days later, leaving Finidi with bittersweet experience on his debut in the team’s dugout.
Despite losing to the Eagles of Mali, Finidi made the Super Eagles end an 18-year winless streak against Ghana, a feat the NFF couldn’t overlook in choosing a new coach.
The absence of a competent playmaker is evident in the Eagles, leaving strikers without service and exposing the backline to danger from opposing strikers.
With the World Cup qualifiers resuming June 2 with a home game against South Africa, this malady might not be solved before then, but it remains a task the Rivers State-born must accomplish in no distant time.
He will be expected to continue the fervent search for replacements for legendary playmakers like Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh and Wilson Oruma.
This was a major challenge that outlived succeeding coaches of the team, and one can only wish Finidi luck as he treads the path his predecessors could get a foothold.
The UEFA Champions League winner with Ajax in 1995 must detach professionalism from patriotism because this is where the NFF bares its fang the most; believing only a yes-man indigenous coach is good enough for the team.
Finidi will be given two balls where he asks for 20, team camped in the country when he prefers overseas, owed salaries and expected to keep mute, and given strange bed fellows as assistants, whereas the foreign coaches are treated contrarily by the NFF in reverence for the white skin.
The gaffer now must make do with the following advice from ex-international Harrison Jalla, one of the advocates for an indigenous coach for the team.
“Congratulations to Finidi George. My advice to him is, first of all, to know that the NFF doesn’t give the same support and cooperation they give to foreign coaches to our indigenous coaches. He should also note that his appointment was due to pressure from football stakeholders and Nigerians,” Jalla told The PUNCH.
“The NFF preference is for a foreign coach. As the new Super Eagles coach, he should work extra hard to justify his appointment. He should be focused and firm in his decisions on the selection and management of players. That should not be a problem, having played at the highest level himself.
“He must also take full charge and responsibility for the team and stamp his authority to avoid undue interference.
“Lastly, he should keep players agents at arm’s length. Finidi is level-headed; let’s give him all the support he needs to succeed.”
