Newly appointed Super Eagles coach, Finidi George, has included three foreigners in a five-man technical crew, which also features former Nigerian international Daniel Amokachi and current goalkeepers’ trainer, Abideen Baruwa.
Finidi and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials have been finalizing the terms of his contract as the new head coach of the national team, following the departure of Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro after a silver medal finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
Discussions about who will work alongside Finidi have been a hot topic, and sources from the NFF indicate that the 52-year-old coach has proposed a five-member technical team. Reports suggest that a German-Nigerian will serve as the first assistant, with Amokachi as the second assistant.
Baruwa will continue as the goalkeepers’ trainer, and the team will also include two other foreign assistants focusing on physical training and match analysis, respectively.
It was also revealed that Finidi is set to sign a one-year contract with a provision for extension if the Super Eagles advance to the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be held in Morocco.
NationSports gathered that the NFF is yet at sea on how funds would be sourced for the foreign assistants with many said to be worried that George is making things rather difficult as regards the listing of three foreign assistants.
But former Nigeria international and a member of the Technical & Development Committee of the NFF Dr. Felix Owolabi insists that George is duty-bound to pick his own assistants in order to enjoy a good working environment.
“ He (George) should be allowed to pick his assistants because that is the right thing to do,” Owolabi who won the AFCON with the Green Eagles in 1980 said recently. “ The NFF cannot choose for him; it has to be the prerogative of the coach to determine those who are to work with him.”