Barely a month after being appointed as the 41st manager of the Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, Finidi George has resigned. Finidi confirmed his resignation to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday after the newspaper sought to verify multiple reports indicating he had stepped down.
Finidi had served as an assistant to coach José Santos Peseiro for 20 months before Peseiro left voluntarily following the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire. Initially, Finidi took on the role in an interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco in April.
Under Finidi’s leadership, the Super Eagles ended an 18-year winless streak against Ghana with a 2-1 victory in their first match, but subsequently lost 0-2 to Mali. Despite these mixed results, Finidi was appointed as the head coach in April, a decision met with criticism by some who doubted his readiness for the role.
These doubts were confirmed as the Super Eagles failed to secure victories in their World Cup qualifying matches under Finidi. They managed a 1-1 draw against South Africa but suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic in Abidjan.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has already announced plans to hire an expatriate technical adviser in the coming weeks, a move that likely influenced Finidi’s decision to resign.
Finidi George is celebrated as part of Nigeria’s ‘Golden Generation,’ having played a important role in winning the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia and helping the team reach the FIFA World Cup finals in the USA the same year. He earned 62 caps for Nigeria, participating in the 1994 and 1998 World Cup finals, and securing gold, silver, and bronze medals in the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
Before his national team appointment, Finidi managed Enyimba International in the Nigeria Premier Football League, leading them to an NPFL title in his second season.
