Amid the current vacant Super Eagles’ coaching job, Nigeria’s Sports Minister, John Enoh, recently tasked the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to look for a top-class foreign coach to manage the national team.
Enoh charged the NFF to get a first-class coach with a track record and pedigree, who will earn the respect of the Super Eagles players to coach the three-time African champions.
His comments came after the Nigeria football house had said that it will appoint a foreign technical adviser for the Super Eagles following the team’s poor results in last month’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic, respectively.
However, Enoh said the new coach must have a personality that can command the respect of the Super Eagles players and ensure the team qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.
“It has to be a name that will inspire the spirit of our nation,” Enoh had said.
“He has to be a first-class coach with a track record, a pedigree, who will earn the respect of our players.”
NewsNow reports that the NFF is expected to appoint the new coach before Super Eagles’ next competitive game in September.
Nigeria will take on a yet-to-be-decided opponent in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, qualifier in September.
The draw for the qualifiers will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa later this month.
Speaking with NewsNow, Saheed Afolabi, who works at Clear TV said: “well, the Minister has said that the NFF should get a foreign coach with a top-class track record.
“But for me, I have always been in favour of indigenous coaches to be in charge of the Super Eagles and all levels of the national team.
“Finidi gave his best for the Super Eagles but for me he wasn’t the right choice at that time for the national team. In fact, Emmanuel Amunike is ahead of him because of his experience and he has coached other foreign national and club teams.
“I wish the NFF the best and I want them to get the best coach to turn the fortune of the Super Eagles because I want them to go to the World Cup in USA and Canada. It wouldn’t be nice when the World Cup starts and Nigeria is not there.
“It wouldn’t be proper for Nigeria to miss out on the World Cup twice in succession. That’s a disaster. So the NFF needs to get it right and put away selfish agenda aside and just put on the clarion call and get the best coach to change the fortune of the Super Eagles in the World Cup qualifiers and get Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup.”
Afolabi added: “I am happy that people are now getting to know that Finidi George’s appointment was not the right one at that time. I want to believe that there were so many obstacles that were put in front of Finidi at that time to make him feel he wasn’t a good coach like that.
“He is one of the top coaches in the NPFL. So I think there were obstacles put in place. But that aside, just like I said, the NFF needs to put selfish agenda aside and put the national team first for the Super Eagles to succeed.
“If they put the national team first, I think they will get the right person to change the fortunes of Nigeria in the World Cup qualifiers.
“I think it is a disaster and even more disastrous for the Super Eagles to even be at a stage like this despite the fact that the qualifiers or ticket for the World Cup have been expanded.
“We have nine groups and out of these nine groups, the Super Eagles can’t still qualify and they are still struggling. Even when they were playing the five groups, they were not struggling like this. So it is just so unfortunate.
“The World Cup qualifiers are crucial matches that can define Nigeria’s chances of going to the World Cup. So the NFF just has to get it right.”
“They have no choice than to get it right, if they fail to get it right, they also should not remain in the position where they are because it is always the coaches that get the sack letter or red card.
“So the NFF should step up and just make Nigerians smile by bringing in the right coach that would get Nigeria to the World Cup,” he further stated.