+Emirates Returns to Nigeria
NFF: Finding a Fine Coach in Finidi
On April 29, 2024, the Nigerian Football Federation appointed George Finidi as head coach of the Senior Men National Football Team, Super Eagles. He succeeds José Peseiro, the former national coach, whose tenure ended on February 29, 2024.
Mr George’s appointment coincided with the team’s preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and his immediate task was to qualify the team for the World Cup. This begins with matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic.
George Finidi is the 10th Nigerian coach to lead the national team since 1960.
From 1960 till date, Nigeria has appointed 20 foreign nationals and 10 Nigerians to lead the senior national football team.
These coaches led the team at different points in time, each with varying performance in terms of games won, games drawn, games lost, and average points per game.
In the same vein, 6 Nigerian coaches of the national senior football team won more points per game than the non-Nigerian coaches, since 1960.
In the same period, the highest points per game were recorded under the coaching tenure of Salisu Yusuff, a Nigerian, despite his brief stint of 2.9 months.
Salisu led the team in 2 matches both of which the team won, scoring 3 points per game.
While the specifics of the games he led remain unclear, his stellar performance within such a short period may hint at his ability to lead the team to win more games if given a chance.
This pattern of outstanding games with good points suggests that Nigerian coaches have the potential to lead the national team well if the requisite opportunity and resources are provided.
However, Nigerian coaches like Mr Salisu Yusuf are usually not given enough time to prove their mettle as much as the non-Nigerian ones.
While the 10 Nigerian football coaches that have led the national team are just half of their 20 counterparts to date, the Nigerian handlers altogether spent less than half (17 years, 9 months, and 16 days) the time their counterparts together spent as Head Coaches (38 years, 6 months, and 25 days).
Going by the historical trends, Finidi George, a Nigerian coach, holds out the promise of success, not just in the qualifying games, but in the major tournaments too – only if he is given enough room to win, draw, and lose like the non-Nigerian coaches are freely given.
Finidi George was an assistant to the immediate past national coach José Santos Peseiro before his tenure ended. he led the team in an interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco in March 2024.
His team recorded a 2-1 victory over Ghana in their first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars. However, they suffered a 0-2 defeat to Mali in the second game.George is a member of the ‘Golden Generation’ team that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and scored the goal that secured Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in the USA the same year.