Nigeria appoint Ajax legend Finidi George as new manager to replace Jose Peseiro
The Ajax legend was interim manager of the three-time African champions following the expiration of Jose Peseiro's contract after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
George’s choice comes a few weeks before the resumption of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers – where the Super Eagles must negotiate their way past South Africa, Benin Republic, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Rwanda to qualify.
According to the statement made available to Flashscore by the NFF, coach George must lead Nigeria to victory against Bafana Bafana and the Squirrels in June.
“The board of Nigeria Football Federation on Monday approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint former ace winger Finidi George as Head Coach of the Senior Men National Football Team, Super Eagles,” it read.
“George, who spent 20 months as assistant to Jose Santos Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily left the post following the accomplishment of Africa Cup of Nations runner-up position at Cote d’Ivoire 2023, took charge of the squad in interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.
“George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks.
“The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.”
Rated as one of Africa’s greatest wingers of all time, George enjoyed a trophy-laden career that spanned 15 years.
During his time at Dutch side Ajax, he played a key role in securing a Champions League title, three Eredivisie titles, two Dutch Super Cups, and a UEFA Super Cup.
On the international scene, he made a scoring debut for Nigeria before going on to accrue 62 caps during which he helped win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations as well as qualify for their maiden FIFA World Cup in the United States of America.
As a coach, he led Enyimba to victory in the Nigeria Professional League title in 2023. Additionally, he served as part of Nigeria’s technical crew during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where the country emerged as runners-up.
African football great Mutiu Adepoju had advocated for the choice of George explaining he has what it takes to lead the Super Eagles to glory.
“If we lack trust in our own, how will they gain valuable experience? Offering Finidi a permanent role would not be an unwise decision by the Nigeria Football Federation,” Adepoju told Flashscore.com.
“Finidi is no stranger to the team, having been part of the coaching staff at AFCON, and boasting a distinguished career as a player at the highest level.
“In addition to his coaching ability, his wealth of experience as a player will undoubtedly be invaluable. I strongly believe he has a lot to offer.”
