Bruno Labbadia rejects Super Eagles job over tax dispute, Eguavoen steps in

Just days after agreeing to become head coach of the Super Eagles, German tactician Bruno Labbadia has reportedly turned down the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) offer due to unresolved tax disputes.

Following Labbadia’s withdrawal, the NFF has appointed Augustine Eguavoen as interim head coach for the Super Eagles’ 2025 AFCON qualifying matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda on September 7 and 1o.

The NFF announced Labbadia as the new head coach on August 27, following the resignation of Finidi George in May. The German manager was set to lead the Super Eagles in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) double-header qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda next month.

However, in a statement on Friday, the NFF revealed that Labbadia rejected the role due to complications surrounding the remittance of taxes between the NFF and German tax authorities.

“We have been on the tax issue for the past three days, and I told him clearly that there was no way the NFF would agree to offset the concomitant tax percentage on his salary that will be demanded by German tax authorities.

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It is not possible for us to shoulder the responsibility of shelling out another sum, between 32% to 40% of his salary, after paying the agreed monthly wage,” NFF President Ibrahim Gusau stated.

Gusau further explained, “The NFF and Labbadia reached an agreement in principle before we announced that he would become the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The tax details were never part of our discussions, and he had personally agreed to all terms before the tax issue came up. We were doing our best to be flexible in the discussions, but he was adamant that the NFF had to pay the full tax amount as well. We simply cannot do that.”

Eguavoen, a former Super Eagles captain, has previously managed the team on three occasions. This will mark his fourth stint as head coach of the three-time African champions, following his previous tenures in 2005-2007, 2010, and 2022.