Tag: finidi George

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Don’t Blame Osimhen For Publicly Fighting With Finidi – Mikel Obi

Former Nigeria captain, John Mikel Obi has said he will not blame Victor Osimhen for publicly fighting against former Super Eagles head coach, Finidi George.
Recall that Osimhen was slammed months back for taking to social media to lash out at Finidi, who allegedly questioned his commitment to the national team.

The striker called out the former Ajax winger and expressed his disappointment and loss of respect for him.
Mikel said Osimhen’s frustration was understandable, especially with the Super Eagles poor results against South Africa and Benin Republic.
The former midfielder admitted that while the striker’s reaction may not be ideal, he understands why the player needs to defend himself.
He praised Osimhen’s humility but acknowledged that respect must be mutual.
“Every time I speak to him, he’s very humble, respects people. As I said, respect is reciprocal. I respect you, you respect me. I think this situation with the Nigerian coach, where he blew out, he just felt it wasn’t fair because the manager didn’t protect him, Mikel said on Obionepodcast.
 
“He said he had a conversation with the manager, everything was recorded, and the manager just threw him under the bus.
 
“He was really pissed off, so he came out to defend himself. Maybe the way he did it wasn’t the best, but he had the right to speak out. I have nothing against Victor [Osimhen] for that, and knowing your worth isn’t arrogance.”
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Osimhen Yet to Apologise for Social Media Rant Against Me – Finidi

Former Super Eagles head coach, Finidi George has revealed that Victor Osimhen has not tendered an apology to him for the viral social media tirade that disrespected him.
Finidi stated this in a recent interview.
The former Nigerian coach who now manages Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side, Rivers United, revealed he reached out to the forward to resolve the issue.
 
“I sent him a message that it was not the best way, just someone telling you that coach said that and you’re talking about me like I said it in an interview,” Finidi told Nigeria Info FM.
“From that point I didn’t hear from him, I moved on and I wish everybody well, only God will judge”.
 
Finidi also refused to comment on suggestions Osimhen should have been sanctioned with a ban from the Super Eagles.
 
“I don’t know, he is there already, let him be,” he added.
“We cannot crucify him, he has made a mistake, we have moved on and life goes on.”
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Finidi George Lands New Coaching Job

Finidi George, former Super Eagles coach has gotten a new coaching job.
He has been appointed as Rivers United head coach in the NPFL after resigning from the national team.
His move aims to boost the club’s performance following a turbulent stint with the national side.
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Nigeria’s Sports Minister, John Enoh Speaks On Victor Osimhen’s Outburst Against Finidi George

Nigeria’s sports minister, John Enoh, has addressed Napoli striker Victor Osimhen’s recent social media criticism of former Super Eagles coach Finidi George for the first time.

Earlier this month,  it was alleged that Finidi George questioned Osimhen’s commitment to the squad after he had missed the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and the Benin Republic.

Finidi was alleged to have faulted the commitment of some players before picking out Osimhen for making himself unavailable.

He was quoted to have said he can’t beg Osimhen to play for the national team after the player withdrew from their last two 2026 World Cup qualifiers due to injury.

Reacting to the comments attributed to Finidi, Osimhen claimed he reached out to Finidi about his injury, and had wanted to fly down to be with the players in camp which the former coach declined.

He said, “I knew things like these would happen and that’s why I have the videos and screenshots of when I called Finidi while I was with the doctor in Germany.

“I got injured in our (Napoli’s) last game against Lecce and I went to the MRI scan. And I called Finidi there for him to listen to the doctor too.

“I asked Finidi George to allow me stay with the players in the camp, but Finidi asked me not to bother that I should stay with my family.

“I’m not addressing anything, everybody knows I play my heart out whenever I’m playing for the club or national team. I’ll share the screenshot and videos of my conversation with Finidi for the sake of those believing what Finidi said.

“I’ve lost respect for that man because before I disrespect anybody, I always respect them.

Since the outburst, Osimhen has refused to apologise even after it was denied that Finidi didn’t make such comments about him

Speaking with Eagle7 FM Radio, The Sports Minister addressed the outburst for the time, saying he’s ordered the NFF not to make a pronouncement on the matter until they have heard from Osimhen.

“There has been a plethora of opinions on this,”he said. “Osimhen is a Trojan for Nigeria, but it was a low.

“I told the NFF not to make a pronouncement on this before they have engaged Osimhen. This is so especially because these are not the best of times for Nigeria football and we have to manage a lot of things.

“The NFF have to be focused and not be distracted.”

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NFF Accepts Finidi’s Resignation

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has officially accepted the resignation of the head coach of the Super Eagles, Finidi George.

The decision came after an initial hesitation due to procedural issues with the resignation letter, which was reportedly unsigned at first.

The resignation process faced a hiccup when Finidi George’s initial resignation letter was found to be unsigned, leading to delays in its acceptance by the NFF.

However, the matter was promptly resolved as the letter was subsequently signed and made available to all members of the executive committee.

The official acceptance of his resignation was confirmed following the Sallah holidays, as reported by ScoreNigeria.com.

Finidi decided to step down following the NFF’s decision to appoint a foreign technical adviser to oversee his work.

In his resignation letter addressed to NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, Finidi expressed his concerns about the changes to the technical crew, which included several appointments made without his input.

He stated that under these circumstances, he preferred to resign from his position.

With Finidi’s departure, the NFF is now faced with the task of finding a suitable replacement before the commencement of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, which are set to begin in the first week of September.

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Super Eagles: I Have Lost Respect For You – Osimhen Slams Finidi George

Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen, has taken a swipe at  Finidi George, who has resigned as the head coach of Nigeria.

It is claimed that Finidi accused Osimhen of pulling out of games for the national team with minor injuries.

Osimhen, who netted 15 goals for Napoli in Serie A this season, claims he suffered an ankle injury against Lecce on May 25.

And although he was planning to travel to the Super Eagles camp ahead of their two 2026 World Cup qualifiers, he was told not to by Finidi.

In an Instagram Live video, Osimhen said he would not accept disrespect and opened up on why he was not taking part in the World Cup Qualifiers.

He said;

: “I won’t let anyone believe anything about me.

“I don’t just address anything, everybody knows when I play for Nigeria I play my heart out, I just let everything go.

“But I won’t take disrespect from anybody

“I’ll share the screenshot and videos of my conversation with Finidi for the sake of those believing what Finidi said.

“I’ve lost respect for that man because before I disrespect anybody, I always respect them.”

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Finidi George Reportedly Resigns As Super Eagles Coach

Finidi George has reportedly tendered his resignation from the role of head coach of the Nigerian football team, Super Eagles.

Popular sports news reporter, Toyin Ibitoye, disclosed this on X some minutes ago.

‘’News just in Finidi George @FinidiGeorge_FG has resigned from his  @NGSuperEagles manager position”

Finidi, a former Nigerian international and member of the iconic 1994 Super Eagles squad that won the nation’s second African Cup of Nations title, took over as head coach last month.

His resignation comes days after the NFF disclosed it is in search of a foreign Technical Adviser following a poor run in the WCQ.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) or Finidi George have yet to confirm his resignation.

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2026 WCQ: Why Super Eagles Lost to Benin Republic – Finidi

Super Eagles head coach, Finidi George has opened up on why his side lost 2-1 to Benin Republic.
The super eagles had yesterday suffered the loss during its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria remain in fifth position in the Group C table with three points from four games.
It was the second time the Cheetahs would beat the Super Eagles in 17 meetings.
Gernot Rohr’s men top the standings with seven points.
“We scored a good goal and after that we lost concentration, they got their equaliser and then they got their momentum,” Finidi said during his interaction with media after the game.
 
“We didn’t defend well the long kick from the goalkeeper and they got their first goal.
 
“We had control of the game, but we didn’t defend well.
 
“If you don’t take your chances and don’t defend well in a World Cup qualifier, you pay for it.
 
“First half was good but for the goals (we conceded), while in the second half we pushed and defended well.”
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Benin Republic Beat Nigeria 2-1, Fans Blast Finidi

Fans have demanded the sack of coach Finidi George after the Super Eagles lost 2-1 to Benin Republic.
Cotonou, the capital of neighbouring Republic of Benin erupted in joy following the shock 2-1 win over the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their 2026 FIFA world Cup qualifier at the Felix Houphouët Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

“This  was a real miracle,” Beninese foremost journalist, Elvis Dedjinou Zanclan , told NationSport after the match.“Two games won successively, first again Rwanda and  now, the super Eagles; this is unbelievable.”
Zanclan then added: “My point of view  at the end of the match  was that the Nigerian players  thought the game  was won  before the kick -off. I think Finidi’s team is the first Nigerian side to lose to Benin in history.
 
“Of course, Cotonou is bubbling and celebrating,”he noted.
By contrast,  the Super Eagles’ defeat  was painfully received  as Nigerians reportedly   took to the social media app, X(formerly Twitter ) to demand the immediate sacking of  Coach Finidi George over the team’s poor performance.
In a  report by Sahara Reporters , many of  Nigerian micro blog users  vented their anger on the former Ajax Amsterdam’s winger.
A commentator, Samstar said, “Finidi George is just a clueless coach with a very big head. Please sack him now and also jail him for stressing all Nigerians #SoarSuperEagles.” 
Another analyst, Buchi Laba regretted being among those who called for George’s appointment few months ago.
He wrote: “I pushed heavily for Finidi George to get the job. I’m a very stupid person. Never ever take any advice coming from me. I no get sense.”