April 29, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed former international winger Finidi George as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team. The appointment was made on Monday, following the recommendation of the NFF’s Technical and Development Committee.
George, who served as an assistant to former coach José Peseiro for 20 months, assumed interim charge of the Super Eagles for two friendly matches in Morocco, last month. His squad secured a historic 2-1 victory over Ghana, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars. However, they suffered a 0-2 defeat in the subsequent match against Mali.
A member of Nigeria’s celebrated “Golden Generation”, George was part of the squad that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Tunisia and earned acclaim as the second most entertaining team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. His illustrious playing career for Nigeria spanned 62 caps, featuring in the 1994 and 1998 World Cup finals and winning gold, silver, and bronze medals across various AFCON tournaments from 1992 to 2002.
The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward, made his international debut for Nigeria in an AFCON qualifier against Burkina Faso in Lagos, 1991. He famously assisted Rashidi Yekini in scoring Nigeria’s first-ever World Cup goal against Bulgaria in 1994. Additionally, George’s goal against Algeria in a crucial 1993 qualifier secured Nigeria’s berth at the 1994 World Cup.
George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, within the next five weeks. These matches are must-win encounters for Nigeria, as they currently trail behind Rwanda and South Africa in Group C of the African campaign.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
