A week has passed since Finidi George stepped down as head coach of the Super Eagles, yet the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has remained silent on the matter. There has been no public confirmation from the NFF regarding the receipt of George’s resignation letter.
NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, the only official to comment, claimed ignorance of George’s resignation, stating simply, “Not yet aware.”
However, it is certain that Finidi has vacated his position. The former Nigerian international resigned following the NFF’s announcement last Thursday that they would be appointing an “expatriate technical adviser” in response to the team’s poor performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifying series. The Super Eagles, three-time African champions, have secured just three points out of a possible twelve and are currently fifth in the six-team Group C, putting their qualification hopes in jeopardy.
Despite the NFF’s clear intention to hire a foreign coach, there is ongoing debate within football circles about giving another local coach a chance. Nwosu Michael Izuchukwu, a podcaster and digital marketer, believes it’s time to move on from the past.
“Honestly, I think we need to let go of the nostalgia from the late Stephen Keshi’s time and just go foreign,” Izuchukwu told DAILY POST. “Keshi already had experience coaching Togo before he got the Super Eagles job. I don’t think we have any local coach who can boast of that sort of experience.”
Proponents of local coaches argue that recent foreign managers have performed poorly, though Izuchukwu highlights Gernot Rohr as an exception. Rohr, who recently led Benin Republic to victory over the Super Eagles, is seen by Izuchukwu as having had a successful tenure.
“Rohr had a good stint as the manager of the Super Eagles,” he said. “And I can tell you with certainty that if he was still our coach, we would be in pole position to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. He didn’t play the most beautiful football, but African football is raw yet very exciting because the passion is through the roof.”
Since news of Finidi’s resignation emerged, numerous coaches, both local and foreign, have been linked to the role. Izuchukwu’s top choice is Emmanuel Amunike.
“At this point, their safest option would be Amunike,” he said. “The general public seems to think he’s the best man for the job if you’re looking locally. Now that Finidi has fallen short of expectations and resigned, we might as well give it to Amunike since we don’t have the means to look outside our borders.”
As for Samson Siasia, whose FIFA ban ends in August, Izuchukwu is unequivocal.
“I don’t want that man anywhere near the national team,” he stated firmly. “Isn’t he the reason we didn’t qualify for the last World Cup?”
