Nigerians on social media are sharing optimistic reactions to Finidi George’s appointment as the substantive head coach of the Super Eagles. The 53-year-old’s appointment was confirmed in a statement released by the Board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday.
George, who is currently the manager of Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) champions Enyimba, was first handed the reins as caretaker manager of the national team ahead of the March international friendlies against Ghana and Mali.
The former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Mallorca forward led the Super Eagles to an impressive 2-1 victory against the Black Stars but couldn’t repeat the heroics against Mali, who defeated Nigeria 2-0 in Marrakesh.
Despite recording one win and one loss in his two matches in charge, the Board of the NFF still settled on George as the right man to lead the national team after earlier announcing a vacancy for the role following Jose Peseiro’s exit.
Finidi George replaces Jose Peseiro as Super Eagles’ substantive head coach
Peseiro’s 21-month spell as Nigeria boss came to an end in February after the Portuguese’s contract was not extended by the NFF, despite leading the country to a runners-up finish at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) in Ivory Coast.
In their statement, the NFF said George’s immediate task was to lead the Super Eagles to victory in their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin in June.
“George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks,” a statement on the NFF’s website said.
“The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.”
Nigerians react to Finidi George’s appointment
Meanwhile, several Nigerians have flooded social media to share their views on George’s appointment. Some of the fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to wish the one-time AFCON and Olympic gold medallist the best as he begins his reign as the Super Eagles’ substantive boss.
Others also expressed their optimism about George’s appointment and praised the NFF for suppressing its taste for foreign coaches this time around.
See some of the reactions below:
