Dressing room crisis, power struggle: Inside Finidi’s short reign as Super Eagles coach

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Dressing room crisis, power struggle: Inside Finidi’s short reign as Super Eagles coach

It is no longer news that Finidi George has quit his role as Super Eagles head coach.

The former international winger tendered his resignation letter to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, on Saturday.

Having served as an assistant to Jose Peseiro for close to two years, the former Ajax winger was named as the Portuguese’s successor in May.

Prior to his appointment, Finidi acted as interim head coach and took charge of the Super Eagles for the friendlies against Ghana and Mali.

It was widely reported that he had a discord with some players (Ademola Lookman and Umar Sadiq over lack of playing time after the second friendly against Mali.

It was obvious Finidi lost the dressing room before he even started the job. There was a power struggle between him and some players.

Fast forward to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic, the majority of the players strolled to camp which affected the team’s preparation.

Key stars, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Frank Onyeka only arrived at the team’s Ibom Hotel and Resort camp two days before the crucial clash with Bafana Bafana.

One major factor that contributed to the team’s dismal showing against South Africa, DAILY POST reliably gathered, was the refusal of some players to make sacrifices for the team.

You can imagine some players, especially defenders refusing to play in certain positions just to help the team,” revealed the source.

“It’s the same thing in midfield. These are things they probably wouldn’t have tried in their respective clubs.

“Some of these players finished the season with their respective clubs long before the camp opened, except for Ademola Lookman and still came late to camp,” the source said.

There were also reports of players coming to camp with injuries and hiding it from the technical team and the doctors.

“It is true that some players were not fully fit for the games but they kept it to themselves. That to me is unprofessional and unpatriotic.

“The right thing is for them to have in-form the coach so that he can bring in replacements,” he added.

Perhaps Finidi’s greatest mistake was not stamping his authority on the team and a display of poor technical ability.

Iwobi and Onuachu, two of the players who came late to camp, were named in the starting line-up against South Africa.

Terem Moffi and Victor Boniface, who came into camp early and have better qualities than Onuachu, were named among the substitutes against Bafana Bafana.

Onuachu was only replaced by Moffi 10 minutes from time, while Boniface sat on the bench all through.

The former Enyimba head coach also didn’t show enough tactical savvy in the two games.

Even when things were not going on well on the pitch, especially in the first game, the gaffer failed to make the needed substitution on time.