Exclusive Report: How players’ revolt led to Finidi George’s resignation
Exclusive to Dailytab24.
Finidi George resigned as the Super Eagle’s coach after just three games in charge of the Nigerian national team, a notable disappointment for him.
His resignation followed after poor results in the country’s World Cup qualifiers, where he drew one and lost one.
Pressure was mounted on him by the country’s fans, which led to him speaking after his draw with South Africa that nobody or fans can force him to make a substitution. He declared that he is the coach and he sees what most people cannot see.
His second match was against Benin, who is led by Eagle’s former coach. The defeat to Benin raised notable outcry.
Social media was agog, screaming for his sack. Benin has never beaten Nigeria before, and to the fans of the Super Eagle, it was a downward trajectory they are not ready to go.
The appointment of Finidi George followed after sacking of the Portuguese coach that led the Super Eagle’s to African Cup of Nations final.
Peseiro was sacked and replaced by his assistant Finidi. The problem began with the sacking of Peseiro.
“When Peseiro was about to be sacked, the players knew about the rumours and believed it was true, but they wanted to try and save Peseiro who had their full support. They worked hard in that African Cup of Nations to win it for the coach, but failed when it mattered most. When Peseiro was finally sacked, the players were not happy with the Nigerian Football Federation” the disclosure from a source familiar with the matter said to Dailytab24.
“Finidi George’s appointment was not by merit, but simply following the step of Ivory Coast, with the belief that what worked there could work here” the source continued.
Ivory Coast came from a losing position after escaping the group as a best loser to win the cup. The foreign coach appointed by the country was sacked, and his assistant was given the mantle. His assistant went ahead to win the cup. The report said Nigerian Football Federation wanted to trial same strategy.
Finidi George had worked with the players as assistant but they were not okay with him taking the first team job. “The players didn’t get involved in the appointment of Finidi, but there were words like ‘the players don’t like Finidi’ and the comments led to the delay of his appointment” the source continues.
Finidi’s appointment was significantly delayed, with observers thinking at a point that he won’t be given the job after the delay. “Some didn’t want Finidi, but the NFF leadership wanted to try”.
“The appointment happened after everything, the players appreciated him, but soon, there was bitterness, the bitterness was not obvious. First, Finidi was not picking calls and he didn’t want players trying to influence him. He kept a distance, and the players felt familiarity is playing into the gallery, and that was the point they silently revolted” the source says.
Appointing Nigerian coaches has proven complicated for the team, with issue immediately arising after each appointment.
Sunday Olisa faced the same fate when he was appointed. Since the demise of Stephen Keshi, local coaches appear to find it hard to work with the team.
Before his resignation, Finidi said some big players didn’t want to play for the country. He used Osimhen as example of such players. He noted that he can’t force players to play for him, which accurately reflects the internal problem that stemmed from his appointments and dispositions.
He finally resigned after NFF made clear that a foreign technical adviser will be appointed. The announcement was made after the fallout with players became obvious.
