The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has denied reports that Super Eagles head coach Finidi George signed a one-year contract.
Gusau made this clarification during an appearance on Soccer Africa, a popular TV show in South Africa, News About Nigeria reports.
Finidi George was officially unveiled as the Super Eagles head coach on Monday, with reports suggesting he had penned a one-year contract with an option for an additional year.
However, Gusau has dismissed these claims, stating that Finidi will remain in charge of the team until at least the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I don’t know where the one-year contract information came from,” Gusau said. “As far as our contract with Finidi is concerned, he will be in charge of the team until the end of 2026. So, I don’t think 2026 is going to be a one-year contract.”
Gusau also revealed the NFF’s targets for Finidi George, which include qualifying the team for the 2024 Nations Cup and reaching at least the semi-finals, as well as qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and reaching the quarter-finals.
“The key thing is, in every contract, there must be some indices and targets that you must put in place for somebody to achieve optimal performance,” Gusau explained. “And the first target is to qualify the team for next year’s Nations Cup and reach at least the semi-finals, as well as qualify the team for the World Cup and reach the quarter-finals. So, these are the main targets we put in place for him in the contract, and by the grace of God, we are working hard to see how we can achieve that.”
Finidi George, a former Enyimba head coach and ex-international, was unveiled as the 41st coach of the Super Eagles on Monday. He had previously led the team on an interim basis following the departure of former manager Jose Peseiro.
Although the NFF failed to disclose details of Finidi’s contract during the unveiling, reports suggested he had signed a one-year contract renewable for another year. This led to speculation that his tenure might lapse before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco or the World Cup qualifier against South Africa in September 2025.
It was also rumored that Finidi will earn N15 million, which if true will make him the highest-paid indigenous coach ever.
