6 months ago
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Barely one month after being unveiled as the 41st manager to handle the Nigeria national team, the Super Eagles, Finidi George has resigned.
Finidi confirmed his resignation to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday after the paper sought to verify multiple reports suggesting he had throw in the towel.
He responded “Yes” via SMS to the query from PREMIUM TIMES.
Finidi, who spent 20 months as assistant to coach José Santos Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily left the post following the accomplishment of the Africa Cup of Nations runner-up position at Cote d’Ivoire 2023, was first engaged in an interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco in April.
His squad edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.
In April, Finidi was finally given the job, though the move was criticised as some felt he was not good enough for the big role.
Finidi’s critics were proved right as the Super Eagles failed to win either of their World Cup qualifying matches handled by the former Ajax star.
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While the Eagles rescued a 1-1 draw against South Africa, they were stunned 2-1 by Benin Republic in Abidjan.
Already, the Nigeria Football Federation has announced they will be employing an expatriate Technical Adviser in the coming weeks, a move that may have fueled Finidi’s reported resignation.
Finidi was a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged as the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in the USA the same year.
He won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. He also won gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
Before taking the national team job, Finidi was in a charge of Enyimba International in the Nigeria Premier Football League.
He won the NPFL title in his second season with the People’s Elephant.
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