September 19, 2024
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have embarked on a new era, following the appointment of Finidi George as the head coach of the senior men’s national team on Monday, April 29th.
Breaking an eight-year trend of appointing foreign coaches, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), under President Ibrahim Musa Gusau’s leadership, has opted for an indigenous coach. George, who was previously managing Enyimba in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), left his role with six games remaining to defend their title. He succeeds Jose Pesiero, having served as his assistant for 20 months.
On Monday, May 13th, George was officially unveiled as the new manager of the Super Eagles, following his successful oversight of the team’s two friendly matches in April. As he prepares to take the reins on a larger scale, Six Sports Network delves into the details of his employment terms, backroom staff, primary objectives, and the key players whose performances will likely impact his success.
Despite calls from the media to reveal George’s terms of employment, the NFF–for reasons best known–didn’t bulge until Friday, 17th May when President Ibrahim Musa Gusau debunked the one-year contract talks circulating in the media.
According to Gusau, George signed a two-year contract until 2026. “I don’t know where the one-year contract information emanated from, all I know is that, as far as our contract with Finidi is concerned, he is going to be in charge of the team till the end of 2026,” the football administrator said on SuperSports’ Soccer Africa Show.
As revealed by the top Nigerian football sources, the ex-Ajax winger will also be placed on a #15 million monthly salary, with the assurance of matches and milestone bonuses and add-ons.
Finidi’s technical crew includes two assistant coaches, an analyst, and a fitness and goalkeeper’s trainer.
The appointment of the five-man crew, according to Tobi Adepoju, was heavily influenced by the coach, as the NFF was said to be satisfied with just imposing assistant coach Daniel Amokachi and the goalkeepers’ trainer; Olatunji Baruwa.
Assistant coaches: Daniel Amokachi and Benjamin James
Ex-footballers Daniel Amokachi and Benjamin James will both be assisting Finidi. It’s a familiar terrain for Amokachi, who had previously assisted the late Shaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi during their time as the Super Eagles’ managers.
Meanwhile, Amokachi and Finidi, in their active years, were teammates in the national team, where they both won the AFCON in 1994. The duo also represented Nigeria at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup respectively.
The “Bull” as he was fondly called, had a short stint with Nigerian side Nasarawa United, where he played and coached. His managerial spells cut across clubs like Enyimba and the defunct Ifeanyi Ubah.
On the other hand, what Benjamin James lacks in local managerial experience, he makes up for in foreign equivalence. The ex-Plateau United and Shooting Stars player was the youth coach of Hoffenhiam for over a decade.
Fitness and goalkeepers’ trainers: Olatunji Baruwa and Chima Onyeike
Ex-United coach Olatunji Baruwa will retain his role as the Eagles’ goalkeepers’ trainer, after leading the goalkeeping department under Peseiro. Baruwa will assist George, as he retains his position as Nasarawa United’s goalkeeper’s trainer.
Although born to a Nigerian father, Chima Onyeike has been more of a Dutchman. The 48-year-old began his career as a fitness coach over 10 years ago, after a relatively short career as a footballer in the Dutch leagues.
Analyst: Mehmet Ozturk
With about 18 years of tactical experience under his belt, Trabzon-born Mehmet Ozturk will work as Nigeria’s analyst under coach George. The 59-year-old is also a German citizen.
It’s imperative to note that, unlike the head coach who is placed on a monthly salary, the technical crew members will be compensated on a game-by-game basis.
Even before the NFF concluded their search for Peseiro’s successor, the Nigeria footballing community unanimously agreed that the first task for whoever is coming on board would be securing the 2026 World Cup qualification ticket.
Sports Minister John Enoh, the NFF president and a handful of ex-Eagles stars have urged George before and after his appointment to concentrate his efforts on leading Nigeria to the Mundial, after missing out on the last edition in 2022.
The ex-Enyimba gaffer, rightly agrees, “The World Cup qualification matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic is a collective responsibility for all Nigerians.
“I know I am in charge now and the heavy responsibility is on me to win the two World Cup matches. I will do my best to ensure success and qualify for the World Cup.” the 53-year-old said a few days before his unveiling, as reported by Daily Post.
In addition to this, President Gusau also revealed that the federation demanded at least, a World Cup quarter-final and AFCON Semi-final finish from the ex-winger.
Despite the motivation, opening their qualification matches with two draws has made the Eagles’ aim of qualifying for the WC more difficult. Now lagging in their group, the three-time African Champions have two must-win matches in July—which brings to the fore: who are the players newly appointed George can count on as he aims to overturn his predecessor’s deficit?
Victor Osimhen: The Napoli marksman has proven beyond any reasonable doubt that he’s currently one of the best–if not the best striker–in Africa. The 2023 CAF Player of the Year, although silenced at the AFCON 2023 is currently Nigeria’s third-ranked all-time highest goal scorers chart with 21 goals in 35 caps.
However, Osimhen’s baggage comes with a major concern: his fitness. The 25-year-old missed Nigeria’s April friendly matches due to an injury and is now a doubt for June World Cup qualifiers if the reports from Italy are anything to go by.
Victor Boniface
Although relatively new to the Super Eagles’, Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface has been tipped by many to form a formidable striking partnership with Osimhen. The ex-Bodø/Glimt striker is currently a revelation in Germany, after co-inspiring Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title in their history. Boniface missed Nigeria’s AFCON 2023 squad due to injury, depriving fans of the Victors’ combination.
While some conservative quarters aren’t convinced about this, Boniface’s place as Osimhen’s deputy is quite ironclad; after all, Peseiro did rue his absence at Côte d’Ivoire.
Ademola Lookman
From a personal perspective, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman–arguably the most improved Eagles star of the season– is as important as any of Victors to Finidi. The ex-Leicester forward, who was Nigeria’s best attacker at the AFCON 2023 is having one of his best career seasons in Italy, having contributed to 20 goals for the Le Dea.
He’s poised to face his compatriots Boniface and Nathan Tella in the Europa League final on May 22 in Dublin.
Alex Iwobi
The only recognised attacking midfielder in the Eagles’ camp. Since he switched his allegiances from England to Nigeria in 2015, Iwobi has notched up over 75 caps for the Super Eagles.
The ex-Arsenal star scored the only goal against Zambia, as Nigeria booked their spot in the 2018 World Cup. He has since then been a key player in the Super Eagles squad and played a huge role in the side’s 2019, 2021 and 2023 AFCON.
Certainly, this wealth of experience will be pivotal to Finidi’s setup
Willaim Troost-Ekong: Although currently recuperating from surgery, the AFCON 2023 MVP complements the aforementioned players as George’s arguable most potent options.
This personal pick is, however, not to downplay the efforts and abilities of the remaining Eagles stars. Football, after all is said and done, remains a team sport.
Finidi George, any moment from now, is expected to release his first invitation list as Super Eagles manager, ahead of the qualifiers.
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