The head coach of the Super Eagles, Finidi George, stated that his first goal is to get Nigeria into the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
He made the announcement following his official press conference yesterday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, where he was introduced to the media as the new head coach of the Nigerian senior men’s national team by Ibrahim Gusau, the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and minister of sports development, John Enoh.
My primary goal is to ensure that we qualify for the 2026 World Cup; the AFCON qualifiers are also quickly approaching,” Finidi George stated.
The 53-year-old former Ajax player, who resigned from his position as head coach of Enyimba on Sunday in order to focus on his new role, stated that winning the next two qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic is his immediate goal.
The two World Cup qualifying matches we have left against South Africa and the Benin Republic are the big step and my goal. We will pick up the pace if we can win the matches we have already set.
“Going forward, players will be invited to the Super Eagles based on their regular playing time in their clubs and their commitment to the national team,” the coach issued a warning.
He disputes rumours that he has falling out with some of the team’s players, claiming that his interactions with them have always been cordial and professional.
I had an excellent relationship with the players. Having been an assistant coach for 20 months, I had a great rapport with the players, and now that I am the head coach, we won’t make any changes. Finidi remarked, “I’m the same person, and I’ll only attempt to make our relationships better.
The Eagles head coach appointed two foreigners and Daniel Amokachi, a former national teammate, as his assistants.Olatunji Baruwa, the goalkeeper’s trainer, was also kept on by him. Under Jose Peseiro, Baruwa held the same role. Prior to the Super Eagles’ 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Squirrels of Benin and Bafana Bafana of South Africa, the identities of the two foreign assistants would be made public.
NFF President Ibrahim Gusau promised the coach he will have all the assistance he needed to complete the task at hand when introducing him.”We’ve allowed our coach to select his own assistants. We won’t force him to do anything, but we will give the head coach a monthly wage and assign the assistants on a game-by-game basis. Gusau stated, “We want to avoid salary issues.”
Senator John Owan Enoh, the minister of sports development, emphasised the significance of having and assisting indigenous coaches in order for them to be successful.
We will get the chance to appoint a local coach to guide the Super Eagles. I used to attend to UJ Eseune Stadium throughout my university years to watch Finidi George play for the Calabar Rovers. It is an honour for me to be present for his unveiling. Finidi George is someone you must like and cheer on if you love Nigerian football. Nigerians will rejoice at his success.