Ex-NFF boss Amaju Pinnick snubs Emmanuel Amunike, backs Finidi George for Super Eagles job

The former Nigeria Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick has backed Enyimba boss Finidi George to become the new Super Eagles coach, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles have been without a coach since the end of February, following the expiration of Jose Peseiro’s contract after an impressive Africa Cup of Nations outing in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Portuguese tactician had been in charge of the team for about two years, and there were reports that the NFF wanted him to continue the job because of his second-place finish at the AFCON, especially with the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.

However, he refused a new contract, prompting the NFF to appoint Finidi as the interim coach. Meanwhile, they began an appointment process, calling on interested coaches to apply for the Super Eagles job. And coaches like Emmanuel Amunike and Michael Nsien applied.

Still, Finidi led the Super Eagles in their friendly games against Ghana and Mali last month. He led the team to victory over the Black Stars while they suffered a loss against Mali.

However, with the World Cup qualifiers against South Africa approaching in June, the NFF have not named a permanent coach.

Former NFF boss Pinnick has weighed in on the issue, and he has revealed that his candidate for the job is Finidi.

“Even though Jose Peseieo started slowly, the end justified the reason we brought him, so I don’t have any regrets,” Pinnick told Arise TV.

“Under his internship was a player that was once regarded as one of the best wingers in the world- Finidi George- one of the best wingers at a point- a player that had a formal or informal internship as a player under one of the best coaches in the world Luis Van Gaal- a player that at Real Betis, he was excellent. He(Finidi) was at Ajax, and if you know Ajax, they believe in developmental football, where they teach you how to chest, trap, and play the ball again. So he has those virtues, and my opinion is that we encourage him.

“He played two friendly games, he lost one and made negative history because Mali have not beaten Nigeria in over 40 years, and positive history because Nigeria has not beaten Ghana in over 30 years.

“In my opinion, I’ve seen him, I’ve worked with him, I brought him one when I was president as one of the assistant coaches. He has some virtues that we need as a coach. He has leadership, dexterity, and most importantly, humility.

“There’s no encumbrance, if you wave Finidi round, you will not see any encumbrance around him. There are many information and many things I know.

“So what do we do with someone like Finidi that played under some of the best coaches in the world, that also ciaced at that level, and coached one of our indigenous and one most successful teams in Africa? We build capacity around him.”

The NFF is yet to reveal their man for the job, but Pinnick’s statements could be an indication of the path that they will tow. But one thing is sure, before the World Cup qualifiers in June, they will unveil their man for the job.