Jose Peseiro’s contract with the Nigerian Football Federation expired in February after the Super Eagles secured a silver medal in Ivory Coast, Soccernet.ng reports. In March, Finidi George was chosen to lead the team on an interim basis, and questions whirled all over the media, with fans torn between two sides.
While some wanted a proven foreign winner to restore Nigeria to her football peak, others wanted a Nigerian coach, citing Stephen Keshi’s excellence at the 2013 AFCON tournament as a reason to turn the tides in favour of a local coach one more time. Two months later, the NFF appointed Finidi George permanently, handing him the huge responsibility of leading the Super Eagles to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and questions about his capabilities rose again. Football in Nigeria is so much more than a game.
For a country with ups and downs since her inception, the beautiful game has served and still serves as a unifier for everyone. The old, young, disabled, and people from different tribes all unite at a front for ninety minutes, echoing the national anthem with hands on their neighbours’ shoulders to support the Super Eagles whenever they play. Football is a distraction from real life for these people.
I witnessed this firsthand on a university campus during the AFCON 2023 tournament. Despite the economic hardships, a few people came together to host a “Watch-along” for the final against Ivory Coast. The euphoria was palpable when William Troost-Ekong scored, but i.