Stakeholders in Nigerian football have called on coaches and other officials in the system to rally round new Super Eagles’ Coach, Finidi George, as he tries to qualify the country for the 2026 World Cup.
The stakeholders, who said Finidi’s appointment goes beyond just being Super Eagles manager, said his success on the job would prove that given the opportunity, the country’s coaches could lead the team to higher achievements than any foreigner had ever attained.
Head Coach at Dedon FC, an amateur clubside, Chika Obasi, described Finidi’s appointment as the best thing to happen to Nigerian football in recent times, adding that although the job is tough and harder than anything the former Ajax midfielder has ever experienced, the Enyimba coach would succeed if given adequate support.
Finidi knows all the players already in the team, he works in the local league, which makes it easier for him to know the players that would fortify the team, but his success depends on his philosophy, his leadership ability and the support he gets from the NFF and other stakeholders.
“Finidi has amazing records, both as a player and as Enyimba coach, so, he is in a familiar terrain,” Obasi said. Obasi noted that the NFF did the right thing in choosing Finidi because he is already in the system, adding, however, that he should be given time to build his team.
On the recent international friendlies against Ghana and Mali, Obasi said criticisingFinidi for losing to Mali is unfair considering that he had to use different players in the two matches and the short time he had to train with them.
Head Coach of Synergy FC, another amateur side, Samuel Praise, said the NFF did the right by appointing Finidi, adding that it doused the tension the vacancy and campaign by different coaches for the job created.
“Finidi has always been amazing; he transformed Enyimba into a competitive team, leading them to victory in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) last season.
“I think Finidi and Remo Stars coach, Daniel Ogunmodede, who is equally making waves with his team, are among the country’s best now.
“Peseiro had all the resources he needed plus amazing players in the team, but he could only finish second in AFCON and even could not beat Lesotho and Zimbabwe in World Cup qualifiers.
“The Super Eagles are supposed to be a hard nut to crack; Nigerians deserve better and we are trusting Finidi to bring that Naijaflavour into the team,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, Palaso FC Coach, Muhammad NuraSalisu, a former Kano State Premier League winner with Fagge Pele FC, said home-bred coaches have a lot hanging on Finidi’s success, arguing that the NFF would be forced to depend on only local coaches if the Enyimba manager proves advocate of homegrown coaches right.
“There are many people who don’t believe that a Nigerian can do the job. So, instead of looking for ways to sabotage Finidi, every Nigerian coach should rally round him to succeed. If not, we will be given the apostles of foreign coach for Eagles the weapons to banish us from the team.
