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By: Ebenezer Bajela
Finidi George, head coach of the Nigeria Premier Football Leagues side, Enyimba, has stated that he is not losing any sleep over getting the Super Eagles job on a permanent basis, The PUNCH reports.
Early this month, the Nigeria Football Federation declared the position of the Super Eagles’ head coach vacant, following the exit of Portuguese Jose Peseiro, who led the side to a second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup Nations in Ivory Coast in February.
In an advertisement on its website calling for applications with a March 13 deadline, the football governing body stated that the prospective Eagles coach “must have proven experience at the elite level of football.”
The former Ajax man, who also applied for the job, was appointed Eagles interim coach for the international window with the former winger picking a win and suffering a defeat.
In an interview with Modo TV, the 52-year-old tactician said he was not desperate for the job permanently.
“I felt really good when I was told to take charge of the team. I have been with the team for almost two years, I know all the players, their strengths, and their weaknesses but I am only here to serve Nigeria the way I know how to do stuff.
“I will just take these two games and go back to my club. Whatever the decision is taken after, so be it. I’m not under pressure to say I must get the role permanently.”
Finidi also admitted that his team paid dearly for their mistakes in their 2-0 defeat to Mali at the Stade de Marrakech in Morocco on Tuesday.
“I think we made a few mistakes that cost us the match,” the 52-year-old tactician told Modo TV.
“It wasn’t a bad game, good intensity was exhibited and we created a couple of chances but failed to score. In a game like this when you make mistakes and fail to score you get punished but I was happy with the entire play.
“The formation wasn’t bad at all; this is a team that keeps the ball very well. Using two strikers helped us and forced them to play wide. We could have pressed a bit more but overall, we weren’t bad. We know football is all about victory but I am looking at other aspects.
“Not a bad performance, lost one, won one. We were not outplayed and that is a good thing. I think we did so well in the first (half) although I would have loved a different outcome in the second but the players performed well.”
He added, “The Malians were aggressive in the first half, we committed the blunder and we conceded. In the second half, we had no choice but to come all out and they sat deep. Even with that approach by the opponents, we still created chances.
“I would have loved a different result, but it was not meant to be. That’s how football is, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. It’s a friendly game, so you just check to see some players that can be used in the future. That’s the most important thing.”
After claiming a famous 2-1 win over Ghana in their first game of the international friendlies on Friday, ending their 18-year winless streak against their perennial rivals, team morale was high heading into their second game.
The Eagles were, however, brought back to earth by the Malians, who soared higher on the night in Morocco.
In a game that was far from entertaining, the three-time African champions wasted a couple of chances while also losing Moses Simon to an injury that could potentially end his season.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will resume action again in June as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup, where they will take on South Africa and Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic.