Ex-Nigeria stars condemn Finidi’s resignation

Finidi George’s resignation as head coach of the Super Eagles on Saturday has been a major talking point amongst stakeholders in Nigerian football, leaving a medley of reactions in its wake, Sunday Punch reports.

Some notable ex-Nigeria internationals avoided the subject like plague; a few bared their minds when our correspondent sought their opinions on the phone.

Former midfielder Etim John Esin termed it a disappointment, noting that Finidi spent the shortest time in the team’s saddle and urging the Nigeria Football Federation to always do the right thing.

“It is a disappointment for him to have resigned so soon. If I am not mistaken, he spent the shortest time in that position. Well, he was given his chance, but he couldn’t qualify the team for the World Cup. No one can say indigenous coaches are not given a chance to coach the team, “said the former Lierse star.

“I believe that this has taught the NFF a big lesson, and they should learn to do the right thing by putting round pegs in round holes, which is the only way Nigerian football can grow. Things are working at the moment, and it is unfortunate,” added Esin.

FIFA U-17 World Cup winning coach Fanny Amun and 1994 AFCON winner Edema Fuludu were among those who parried the question, with the former stating, “I cannot comment on an issue that hasn’t been made public,” while the latter said, “I just entered the house and am trying to have my bath and rest.”

Fiery football critic Harrison Jalla seized the opportunity to warn against hiring a foreign coach, rounding off his assertion with, “If coach Finidi George is not good enough, hire another indigenous coach.”

He said, “It’s completely absurd and insensitive to talk about hiring a foreign coach in today’s Nigeria, where the federal government is currently locked in negotiating a N62,000 minimum wage with the Nigeria Labour Congress. Any move to mount undue pressure on the Federal government to pick up the bill for a foreign coach would be strongly resisted. In fact, Nigerian football stakeholders would soon hit the streets in a peaceful protest against the purported move to hire a foreign coach.

“No coach, foreign or indigenous, can succeed under the current governing structure of Nigerian football. The Hon. Minister of Sports, Senator John Enoh, should not feign ignorance of this fact and should up his game from the sidelines while Nigerian football crumbles.”

A member of the 1994 winning team, Emeka Ezeugo, took a holistic view of the subject, slamming stakeholders whose perceived ineptitude and misdemeanours keep Nigerian football prostrate.

He said, “The backdoor is left open for anyone willing to cooperate. We have been giving the job to the wrong people, and that’s why we have been having the wrong and backdoor coaches, players, sports administrators, technical committee members, technical advisers, etc.

“Why do Nigerians expect excellence from Finidi George? Anyone who’s surprised that we failed to qualify for the Qatar World Cup and the coming one in the USA, Mexico, and Canada doesn’t know what’s been going on. We can’t plant cassava and expect to reap or harvest plantains. We are reaping exactly what we planted. Nigerians, quit blaming Finidi George.”

Under former coach Jose Peseiro, the Super Eagles made a stuttering start to their 2026 World Cup CAF Qualifying campaign, drawing their first group matches. 1-1 against Lesotho at MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on November 16, 2023, and recorded the same result away to Zimbabwe three days later.

After the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast, the Portuguese was succeeded by Finidi, who is being solely blamed  for the dismal performances after they drew 1-1 at home against South Africa and lost 2-1 to Benin Republic, leaving their qualification hanging by the thread in fifth position with three points from possible 12.