What City People Found Out
It’s been official for some time now that Finidi George has been appointed as the substantive coach of the Nigeria national team after he used the March international friendlies to audition for the job.
The Nigerian Football Federation, NFF has decided to give George a one-year contract to prove himself. The length of the contract can, however, be viewed two ways: It’s either the NFF does not trust him enough to reward him with a long-term contract or they are playing it safe to avoid a hefty compensation, should things not go according to plan. Either way, a one-year contract doesn’t send a good message.
It’s too short a time for any coach to build a winsome team or local inwards from the local players to appease Nigerians on their cry for some of the Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL players to be looked at and certainly not ideal for a coach trying to implement his style of play.
Finidi will also be tasked with putting together a team capable of delivering a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title, improving on the second-place finish in Ivory Coast this year, when he was assistant to Peseiro, which would be difficult to look inwards for local players, rather trusting the ones he worked with.
First up are the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and this coming after the Eagles failed to qualify for the last edition in Qatar two years ago. And he inherits a squad that drew their first two qualifiers for the ticket to the USA, Canada, and Mexico against less-fancied foes Lesotho at home and Zimbabwe away.
They are third in Group C with just two points behind leaders Rwanda (four points) and South Africa (three points) and must win their next game to stand a chance of picking a ticket from the group.
Speaking at his unveiling, NFF said: “George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, in a little over five weeks.
“The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa,” the statement read.
Friday Ekpo, one of the best midfielders that ever played for the Super Eagles, in an interview with New Telegraph said that Nigerians must be patient with newly appointed national team coach Finidi George, insisting that unhealthy criticism could hurt the team and that giving him a one-year contract is just unwise.
“I don’t know what the NFF wants to derive from what they have done by handing him just a year’s contract. It is too short of a time to do something quite meaningful, it means that if he doesn’t have games to play for six months, he wouldn’t be doing much.
“I think it would have been better if they had given him at least two or two and half year contract so that he could at least plan for both short, mid and long-term as well as adding home base players to his team,” the veteran footballer said.
On why Finidi should pick the best players for the team other than heeding the media cry of wanting home-based players in the team, Ekpo said that Nigerians require the best players to represent the country, and the responsibility lies with the head coach to choose the best ones.
“It’s also crucial for home-based players to perform their best while playing for their clubs because you never know who might be watching. Consistency is key, and one good game is not enough to get noticed.
“You need to be consistent week in and week out in every area of your play to be considered for the national team. You must consistently strive for honour and glory for your club and ensure that you influence your team to succeed.
“The truth is that we have some standout players, talented ones in the league, I know they need to consistently prove themselves, and the coach should give them that chance and work with them to integrate them into the team’s system,” he said.
Meanwhile, Finidi has said that players who ply their trade in the domestic league, NPFL who are good enough for the senior national team would get their chance.
Speaking with journalists, last week, Finidi confirmed that he would continually visit domestic league match venues to get quality players from the league for the Super Eagles.
“I will still come back to Aba to watch Enyimba play because I now must mix the Super Eagles team up with the home-based players.
“Aba definitely will be my first destination when I come to watch Enyimba play, most likely I will see one or two players that I can take with me to the Super Eagles,” the gaffer said.
However, it’s easier said than done. But on knowing that you have just less than one year to impress your employers and the nation at large, no one would risk picking the unknown local players over the established abroad players he has worked with in the past.
–Benprince Ezeh
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