Finidi not is desperate to lead the Eagles as Eguavoen goes to Germany for Diploma program
For Super Eagles interim coach Finidi George, coaching the senior national team is not a matter of life and death.
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 Cote d’Ivoire in February.
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.”
Meanwhile, the second edition of the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma, which seeks to become the “globally recognised qualification” for technical leaders working in the game, will get underway on 1 April 2024 in Germany.
Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Augustine Eguavoen, will be one of the twenty-five global participants from member associations, the confederations, and FIFA who will come together at the German Football Association’s national training center for the first phase of the unique level 6 qualification.
“The launch of the second edition of the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma offers further evidence of our commitment to the sustained investment in the education of technical leaders,” said Steven Martens, FIFA Director of Global Football Development. “We believe that the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma will help each participant to optimise the management of football in their country – both on and off the pitch. The development of exceptional technical leaders will also assist us in delivering our long-term strategic aims of giving every talent a chance and growing the game at every level.”
Building on the success of the inaugural installment
The forthcoming edition of the 18-month-long FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma follows on from the successful first course, which was launched last May in Brazil. “We’ve been delighted with how the first edition of the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma, which comes to an end in December in Zurich, has gone,” commented Jamie Houchen, FIFA Head of Technical Leadership.
“Since the launch of the diploma, we’ve enjoyed some truly memorable educational experiences, which is a testament to the commitment of both the participants and staff involved. We believe that the cultural experiences gained by the participants in Brazil and Japan – along with the upcoming visit to the Netherlands – will remain with them forever.”
