Finidi to handle Eagles for forthcoming friendlies as 10 apply for the head coach job

FORMER Super Eagles winger and current Enyimba of Aba head coach Finidi George will manage the Super Eagles for the two friendly games against Ghana and Mali later this month as the battle to fill the position heats up with 10 applicants so far.

Despite the Super Eagles not having a head coach at the moment, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has organised two friendlies against Ghana and Mali during the forthcoming international Fifa window. Last weekend, the NFF announced that the Super Eagles will face Ghana on March 22 and them lock horns with Mali four days later in Marrakech, Morocco.

With the head coach position vacant, Finidi, who served as an assistant under the last coach Jose Peseiro at the recent African Cup of Nations, is expected to manage the team for both matches. Finidi already has some coaching pedigree as he led Enyimba to win the Nigerian Professional Football League and also was in charge of the Aba club when they featured in the inaugural Africa Super League last year.

One NFF official said: “Except there is a change at the last minute, Finidi will take the team for the matches against Ghana and Mali. He assisted Peseiro and it is only reasonable that he continues where the Portuguese coach stopped at least for the time being.”

NFF officials are not expected to name the new Super Eagles head coach until next month as they are currently working though a long list of applicants. At least 10 candidates submitted their applications indicating their interest for the vacant job before the deadline of Tuesday, 12 March 2024.

Among the applicants are former Barcelona winger and Golden Eaglets coach Emmanuel Amunike, the current US U19 team coach Michael Nsien and former Super Eagles assistant coach Sylvanus Okpala. Others include Former Tirana FC coach and Super Eagles goalkeeper Ndubuisi Egbo, one-time Super Eagles assistant coach Daniel Amokachi, former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh and ex-Cameroonian national team head coach Antonio Conceicao.

Interestingly, the controversial duo of Samson Siasia and Salisu Yusuf have also thrown their hats in the ring. Siasia is currently banned by Fifa from all football-related activities after being caught in the middle of a match-fixing investigation, which found him guilty of bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches.

Siasia's ban will be lifted in August and he hopes the NFF will delay the appointment of the new coach until then. Salisu Yusuf is a former chief coach of the U23 team, had his record tainted in 2018 when he was fingered in bribery allegations involving players.

10 known applicants so far

[1] Michael Nsien

[2] Sylvanus Okpala

[3] Samson Siasia

[4] Daniel Amokachi

[5] Ndubuisi Egbo

[6] Salisu Yusuf

[7] Antonio Conceicao

[8] Emmanuel Amunike

[9] Sunday Oliseh

[10] Finidi George