The new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Finidi George was unveiled by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) earlier today in Abuja, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
The coach has been given a one year deal with a mandate to ensure that the team qualifies for the 2026 World Cup. The first assignment will be in June this year against South Africa in Uyo before facing Benin Republic four days later.
We can exclusively report that Finidi has left his role as coach of Enyimba permanently to focus on the task as the new coach of the Super Eagles. He will earn almost what former coach Jose Peseiro was earning in the final three months of his stay as coach.
His pay per what we gathered is around $45,000, while his assistants will be on a pay per game arrangement. The agreement covers all five of his assistants including the three foreigners.
The first assistant is a Nigerian Benjamin James, who has been based in Germany for the better part of his life, but was born in Nigeria and also played for Nigeria Professional Football League side Shooting Stars and defunct league side Stationery Stores before his sojourn abroad.
Up until his appointment he works with German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim. He is expected to be in Nigeria next week alongside Chima Onyeike who will be the fitness trainer of the team.
Onyeike is of Nigerian descent but was born and raised in the Netherlands, where he had a very short playing career before venturing into becoming a fitness trainer. He is presently unemployed but had stints working in Russia with Anzhi, Greek side PAOK, German side VFB Stuttgart and his last place of employment was Dutch side Willem II.
Mehmet Ozturk will function as the match analyst, with the duo of Daniel Amokachi and Abideen Baruwa completing the list of his assistants.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
