Ikpeba Reveals Advantage Of Appointing Finidi George As Super Eagles Coach
Former African Footballer of The Year, Victor Ikpeba, believes the appointment of Finidi George as Super Eagles coach will be a blessing to home-based players.
After waiting almost two months, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced Finidi George as the head coach of the Super Eagles.
Before his appointment, Finidi served as the Super Eagles’ assistant coach for 20 months and was the head coach of Enyimba of Aba.
Ikpeba, a member of the Nigerian Football Federation Technical Committee that endorsed Finidi for the Super Eagles coaching job, said the former Nigeria international, who won the NPFL with Enyimba last season, will provide opportunities for homegrown players.
“Being actively involved in Nigerian football, Finidi understands the local talent pool,” Ikpeba said on Monday Night Football aired on SuperSport.
“As the coach of NPFL champions Enyimba, he’s in touch with the domestic scene and will provide opportunities for homegrown talents, just as he once emerged as a star player himself.”
Reports claimed that Finidi George signed a one-year contract with the NFF with a one-year extension option. His first assignment is to lead the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The journey to that goal will commence on June 3 when the Super Eagles take on South Africa in their third game of the qualification series. After the game in Uyo, the Eagles will fly to Abidjan in Ivory Coast to take on Benin Republic on June 10.
Nigeria is currently third in Group C, a point behind second-placed South Africa, and two points below first-placed Rwanda. Hence, the Eagles are expected to win their games this June to increase their chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“In the upcoming matches against South Africa and Benin in June, Nigeria faces crucial fixtures that could define our World Cup aspirations,” Ikpeba said.
“We find ourselves in a challenging position having drawn our initial qualifiers, so securing victories in the upcoming games is imperative. With the talents at our disposal, if Finidi can extract the best from the players, qualification is within our reach.”
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