Former Nigerian international, Victor Ikpeba has finally disclosed why the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) settled for Finidi George as the head coach of the Super Eagles.
Recall that on Monday, Finidi was announced as the next coach to take over from Jose Peseiro after leading the team to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where the team finished in second place.
However, speaking on Monday Night Football on Super Sports, Ikpeba, who was among the technical committee that recommended Finidi, stated that the NFF settled for him because of financial constraint.
“Firstly, I want to congratulate Finidi George on his appointment as the Super Eagles coach. However, it was a difficult task because we (technical committee) initially wanted a foreign manager.
“However, we settled for Finidi because of the finance. It’s not like we don’t have confidence in our own coaches back home. We thought there should be continuity in the way Peseiro took the team to the final of the 2023 AFCON. So, eventually, we were guided by the NFF President to look inward.
“It’s not that we can’t afford a foreign manager, but Nigerians back home want a Nigerian coach, and that is what we have now.”
Finidi’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.
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.
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