NFF confirm Enyimba manager Finidi George as new Super Eagles coach

By Samuel Ahmadu

Nigeria Football Federation have confirmed Finidi George as the new Super Eagles head coach following Jose Peseiro’s exit.

The NFF confirmed George’s substantive role on Monday following the approval of the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee by the Executive Committee.

In March, the Nigerian FA had named the former Super Eagles winger as the team’s caretaker coach for the March international friendlies after serving as Peseiro’s assistant for 20 months.

The 52-year-old, who guided Enyimba to their ninth Nigeria Premier Football League title last June was in charge of the Super Eagles’ international friendly matches against Ghana on March 22 and Mali four days later in Morocco.

Under his watch, the Super Eagles edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.

“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,” the NFF statement read.

Among George’s achievements, include gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments and memorably assisted late Rashidi Yekini to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994.

Since pipping fellow ex-international Emmanuel Amuneke to the coveted Nigeria coaching job, George’s first competitive assignments would be a 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana in June.

He is expected to guide the reigning vice African champions to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, within the next five weeks.