Patrick Kelechi, Lagos
DAILY COURIER - The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will unveil Finidi George as the Super Eagles’ Head Coach in Abuja on Monday.
Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development John Owan Enoh alongside the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Tinuke Watti; the President of NFF Ibrahim Musa Gusau and the General Secretary of the football body Mohammed Sanusi, are among prominent personalities expected at the unveiling.
Finidi, 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 52-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 Africa Cup of Nations and came within 28 minutes of a fourth African title in Cote d’Ivoire three months ago.
He had 62 caps for Nigeria at the senior level during which he won the Africa Cup of Nations gold, silver, and bronze, and played in two FIFA World Cup finals.
The former international has the immediate task of picking maximum points from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa (home) and Benin Republic (away) in a few weeks.
