Adedokun Waliyu 
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will on Monday unveil Finidi George as the new substantive head coach of the Super Eagles.
In April, the 52-year-old was appointed as the permanent replacement for Jose Peseiro, who the former Nigerian international worked with as an assistant coach for 20 months.
According to a statement released on Sunday, John Enoh, the minister of sports development; Tinuke Watti, the permanent secretary in the ministry; Ibrahim Gusau and Mohammed Sanusi, president and the NFF general secretary of the NFF, are among the prominent personalities expected at the unveiling.
Finidi was the Eagles’ interim head coach for two international friendlies against Ghana and Mali in March.
He led the Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Ghana in his first game at the helm but lost 2-0 to Mali in the second game.
Finidi, known for his storied wing play, represented Nigeria at the highest level as a player for over a decade. He was part of the Eagles squad that won the 1994 AFCON and participated in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup that same year.
He also won the 1995 UEFA Champions League with Ajax.
After retiring from football in 2004, Finidi acquired a UEFA A Coaching Licence. The qualification earned him roles in La Liga’s Real Betis and Real Mallorca as director of international football and youth team coach, respectively.
He joined Enyimba FC in 2021 and helped the club to its ninth Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title in 2023.
Finidi’s immediate task with the Super Eagles will be the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in June.
The Eagles drew their first two games of the campaign to Lesotho and Zimbabwe, lagging behind in third place in Group C.
