Nigerian Football
Nigeria football oxygen provider, GTI congratulates Finidi, new Super Eagles coach
Renowned financial investment firm, GTI Group has joined many well-meaning football-loving Nigerians in congratulating the newly appointed Super Eagles Head Coach, Finidi George. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) recently announced the former Super Eagles winger as substantive head coach of the senior national football team, Super Eagles, following the expiration of Jose Peseiro’s contract in March 2024.
As strategic partners to the NFF on the President Federation Cup and the Nigeria Premier Football League respectively, GTI Asset Management and Trust Limited will continue to play a vital role in helping to reposition and restructure Nigeria’s football ecosystem using international best practices.
“The recent appointment of George is a golden opportunity for another indigenous coach to prove his mettle with our senior national team after Stephen Keshi of blessed memory successfully guided the Super Eagles to the 2013 AFCON triumph in South Africa. Therefore, we call on all stakeholders of Nigerian football to rally round George to ensure his tenure is successful,” said GTI Head of Media and Publicity, Andrew Ekejiuba.
It could be recalled that George assisted former coach Peseiro for 20 months during which the Eagles reached the final of the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire, but the team lost narrowly to the hosts by 2-1 in the final game.
Renowned for his attacking prowess and deft touches at the wings during his playing days, George began his club football from the local scene, featuring prominently for Calabar Rovers FC of Calabar and Sharks FC of Port Harcourt before heading to Europe. He won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.
George also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
Prior to his appointment, Finito as he is fondly called by football fans was in charge of two friendly matches in the March 2024 FIFA window where the Super Eagles edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 2-0 to Mali in the second game.
His first official game will be Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in June and will be followed by the second game against Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively. These are must-win ties for the Super Eagles who are lagging in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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