Herve Renard reveals why he rejected Super Eagles job offer

By Monsurah Olatunji

Former Ivory Coast boss Herve Renard has revealed that he was close to replacing Finidi George as the head coach of Nigeria’s senior football national team.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has been on the market for a replacement for Finidi George, with several candidates in the running.

George resigned from his position following mixed results in World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and the Benin Republic, leading to the NFF’s decision to appoint a foreign-based technical adviser.

One notable name that was considered is Herve Renard, the two-time AFCON winner and former coach of Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, and France’s women’s team.

The Federation instead announced that it has reached an agreement with German tactician, Labbadia, to become the Head Coach of Super Eagles. However, the deal fell through when the NFF refused to cover the German coach’s tax liabilities, a term that was not previously discussed.

Renard has now revealed in an interview with L’Equipe via Brilla FM that he was approached by the NFF and gave the offer serious thought.

“I almost went to Nigeria, I weighed up the pros and cons for a few days, even a few weeks before refusing it,” Renard said according to Brila.

“It is the best offer I have had so far, the rest didn’t suit me.”