Former Enyimba FC head coach Finidi George has linked his resignation as the head coach of the Nigeria national team to a deal-breaking exercise by the Nigeria Federation, who resorted to hiring an expatriate technical adviser following Finidi George’s appraisal by the NFF executive committee after two official games.
In his resignation letter published by The Eagle Online, Finidi, despite his willingness to continue with the Super Eagles role even after his first two disappointing games, stated that he took the decision following the NFF’s decision to restructure the team’s coaching role.
“While the recent qualifying results haven’t been ideal, I remained committed to guiding our World Cup qualification campaign back on course,” Finidi wrote.
“Given the recent changes to the technical crew,” Finidi stated, “I believe it’s time for me to step aside.”
“I am writing to inform you of my decision to step down as head coach of the Super Eagles. This decision is made in light of the recent changes to the team’s technical staff. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entire NFF leadership, the sports ministry, and the Nigerian people for the chance to serve as the Super Eagles’ head coach. Please be assured of my unwavering support for the team, and I wish us all the best in the future.”
Before his unveiling as the team’s head coach, Finidi George guided the Super Eagles to one victory and a defeat against the Black Stars of Ghana and Mali during their friendly encounters in Morocco as an interim manager. Subsequently, he led the team to their third and fourth matchdays of the World Cup qualifiers, where he managed a 1-1 draw against South Africa and a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic.
The NFF’s swift reaction in hiring a technical adviser, under whom Finidi George would work, was aimed at salvaging a World Cup spot for the team to avert a recurrence of the national team’s inability to participate in the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar after losing the spot to Ghana.
As previously reported, Nigeria, who sits just one place above the bottom of Group C with a point above Zimbabwe, will require resilience to scale through the group. To turn this deficit around, Nigeria will need maximum points in their remaining six games of the CAF World Cup qualifiers.
Prior to his appointment by the NFF as Super Eagles head coach last month, the 53-year-old had been in charge of Enyimba Football Club since 2021 and guided the People’s Elephant to their 9th title in history, making the Aba-based club Nigeria’s most successful club.
Notably, Finidi played with Ajax, Real Betis, Mallorca, and Ipswich Town in Europe. Before his breakthrough in Europe, he had played for elite Nigerian clubs such as Calabar Rovers, Iwuanyanwu Nationale (Heartland), and Sharks FC.
He became the first Nigerian, along with Kanu Nwankwo, to win the UEFA Champions League in 1995 with Ajax, in addition to three Eredivisie titles, two Johan Cruijff titles, and the UEFA Super Cup. With the Super Eagles team, he was part of the 1994 squad that lifted Nigeria’s second Africa Cup of Nations, having been part of the team that won the silver in 1992 and the bronze medal in 2002.
The right winger managed 346 appearances for clubs, scoring 34 goals and providing 26 assists.
With the Nigeria national team, he was capped 45 times in his 11-year tenure, scoring 8 goals.
