The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed former Super Eagles winger Finidi George as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team, the Super Eagles.
The 52-year-old former Real Betis and Ajax Amsterdam forward was given the reins after the NFF Board approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee, according to a statement released on Monday, April 29, 2024.
The NFF statement read, “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.”
“One of George’s most memorable moments came 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 continued.
The statement also praised George’s accomplishments during his lengthy playing career, highlighting his “gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments.”
Following the Super Eagles’ remarkable run to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, former Super Eagles head coach, José Peseiro stepped down, and Finidi George, who had worked as his assistant for 20 months, took over as interim coach.
George oversaw two friendly matches in Morocco last month while serving as interim manager. The team won 2-1 against Ghana to snap an 18-year winless drought but then lost 0-2 to Mali.
The new Super Eagles manager’s priority will be to lead the squad to victory in the next five weeks in two pivotal 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, which will take place in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, against South Africa and the Benin Republic.