Nigerian Football
TWICE REJECTED, FINIDI GEORGE IS UNRELENTING IN QUEST FOR NIGERIA COACHING JOB
Finidi George, according to BBC reports, has said that he will continue to put himself forward for national coaching roles despite being overlooked twice.
The 49-year-old retired from playing in 2004 after a 15-year career, which included winning the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations as well as three league titles and the 1995 European Champions League with Dutch giants Ajax.
The report has it that after concluding his internship at Dutch minnows, PEC Zwolle as part of his coaching course, George has been seeking an opportunity to manage at youth level in the West African nation after twice failing to get the nod for the Under-17 job.
“I’m very disappointed but I understand the Nigerian system quite well,” George told BBC Sport Africa.
“It’s a matter of having the patience. So I’m open continue to improve myself with the hope of getting a chance to coach one of the country’s youth teams.
“When you have the right qualifications, attitude and professionalism, you can only aim for the best and it may even be a chance with the senior side, the Super Eagles, we shall see.”
George is not only continuing his search for a coaching role but is also keen to continue improving himself as he splits his time between Nigeria and Spain, where he spent much of his playing career.
His first rejection came in 2018 when Manu Garba was retained as Nigeria’s under-17 coach and then last year Finidi once again applied for the post, this time another ex-international and veteran local manager Fatai Amoo was chosen by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
“I was disappointed to be ignored, but only consoled that at the end of the day this is Nigeria,” he added.
“I understand the challenges, I will just wait for when the time is right and the opportunity present itself again.
“As I continue to look at other options out there, I am open and will not shut the doors to Nigeria.
“I just hope someday that decision will be made and I will be call upon to handle one of the teams. I can only just keep hoping.”
Since his retirement from football in 2004, he has earned his UEFA A Licence which is one level below the highest qualification, the Pro Licence.
He is currently allowed to be head coach of youth teams up to age 18, reserve teams (also known as ‘B’ teams) for top-flight clubs, and men’s professional second-tier clubs.
His previous coaching roles include director of international football at former club Real Betis and managed the youth team of his erstwhile Spanish side Real Mallorca in 2013.
George was part of the “golden generation” of Nigerian football stars, alongside Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Sunday Oliseh and Daniel Amokachi.
He earned over 60 caps for Nigeria and featured at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.
One moment that caught the attention of many around the world came after he scored a spectacular goal against Greece at the 1994 World Cup and promptly celebrating by getting on all fours and cocking his leg like a dog.
He represented the country in four Nations Cup tournaments, by achieving success in 1994, finishing runners-up in 2000 and third place in 1992 and 2002.
At club level George played in Nigeria for Calabar Rovers and Iwuanyanwu Nationale before shining at Sharks of Port Harcourt and earning a moving to Ajax in the Netherlands in 1993.
The winger won three Dutch league titles, two Dutch Super Cups, the Uefa Champions league and Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and finished runner-up in the 1996 European Cup final against Juventus.
He then played for Real Betis, notching up 44 goals in 152 games from 1996-2000 after leaving Ajax Amsterdam.
He scored five times in 31 appearances for Mallorca between 2000 and 2001, before switching to English football.
George joined Ipswich from Real Mallorca for £3.1m in August 2001 but failed to keep a place in the Town side and reached a settlement to leave in summer 2003.
He returned for a second stint at Mallorca in January 2004 before hanging up his boots.
-BBC
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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