NFF to unveil Finidi as Super Eagles coach on Monday

According to a statement from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Nigerian football legend, Finidi George, will be officially unveiled as the new head coach of the Super Eagles on Monday.

The NFF Board in April announced the 53-year-old as Super Eagles’ head coach after serving as interim manager to Portuguese tactician Jose Peseiro who left his role after leading Nigeria to a second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Finidi’s unveiling hopefully will put to rest his contract details as many football stakeholders have demanded the NFF details of the former Ajax winger’s contract to Nigerians.

“Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, alongside Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Tinuke Watti, President of NFF Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau and the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, are among prominent personalities expected at the unveiling,” a statement from NFF reads.

George, who passed up an opportunity to coach a second-tier team in Spain to return to Nigeria and lead two-time CAF Champions League winners Enyimba FC, won the tough-as-nails Nigeria elite division title with the People’s Elephant in his second season and has left the club in with a chance of retaining the title this season, with six matches to go.

When Finidi formally bowed out of the Aba giants days ago, Enyimba FC remained in third place on the NPFL log, with 53 points from 32 matches, four adrift of table-toppers Enugu Rangers and three off second-placed Remo Stars.

The 53-year-old spent 20 months as assistant to Portuguese José Peseiro from the summer of 2022, during which the Super Eagles qualified for the 2023 AFCON and came within 28 minutes of a fourth African title in Cote d’Ivoire three months ago.

Finidi, who as a player won 62 caps for Nigeria at senior level, during which he won the Africa Cup of Nations gold, silver and bronze, and played in two FIFA World Cup finals, has the immediate task of picking maximum points from 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa (home) and Benin Republic (away) in a few weeks.