Fabio Cannavaro Confirms He Rejected Super Eagles Coaching Job

The legendary Italian retired footballer, Fabio Cannavaro has disclosed that he turned down an offer to manage the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Fabio Cannavaro who retired from active football in 2011, ventured into coaching in 2013 when he became an assistant coach at Saudi Pro League club, Al-Ahli.

Afterwards, he went on to coach seven teams across the world including Al-Nassr, China, and most recently, Udinese.

The 50-year-old former Italian defender is currently without a coaching job, and reports claimed that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) made contact with him as they continue their search for a coach.

Note that the NFF wants to appoint a foreign coach for the national team following their disappointing performance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Fabio Cannavaro confirmed that he was indeed approached by the NFF to take charge of the Super Eagles. However, the former Juventus and Real Madrid defender expressed his preference for working in Europe at the moment.

“I had offers from Nigeria [national team] and Iranian clubs, but I want to wait for Serie A and European clubs until December. After that, I may start traveling again,” Cannavaro said according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Meanwhile, after German coach Bruno Labbadia decided to reject the Super Eagles coaching job just like Cannavaro, the NFF settled with an interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen.

The Nigerian tactician is expected to lead the Super Eagles against Benin Republic on September 7, and against Rwanda on September 10 in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.