Findi George has been appointed as Super Eagles’ Head Coach by NFF.
On Monday, the Nigeria Football Federation Board approved the Technical and Development Committee’s recommendation to appoint former star winger Finidi George as head coach of the Senior Men National Football Team, or Super Eagles.
During two friendlies in Morocco last month, George, who served as José Santos Peseiro’s assistant for 20 months before the Portugueseman resigned the position voluntarily after finishing second in the Africa Cup of Nations at Cote d’Ivoire 2023, led the team in an acting capacity.
His team defeated Ghana 2-1 in the opening game to snap an 18-year losing streak to the Black Stars, but they were defeated 0-2 by Mali in the second encounter.
George, who won 62 caps for Nigeria and appeared in both the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, is regarded as a member of the ‘Golden Generation,’ the team that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and finished as the second-most entertaining team in Nigeria’s inaugural FIFA World Cup finals in the USA that same year. In addition, he took home gold, silver, and bronze from the AFCON competitions in 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002.
Before moving to Europe, the 52-year-old forward, who previously played for Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward, scored his first goal for his country on July 27, 1991, in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium in Lagos. He also made appearances for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic league. On June 19, 1994, in Dallas, USA, he helped Rashidi Yekini (may his memory be blessed) score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria.
George’s goal on October 8, 1993, in a pivotal qualifier in Algiers against hosts Algeria, was the one that sent Nigeria to its first FIFA World Cup. Nigeria advanced to the American finals after the game finished 1-1.
In just over five weeks, George’s first assignment will be to lead the Super Eagles to victory in their two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively. The Super Eagles, who are currently third in Group C of the African campaign behind South Africa and Rwanda, have to win these games.