Finidi to face real test against Bafana

Super Eagles coach, Finidi George, will face his first significant challenge as the substantive head coach of the Super Eagles just 39 days after his appointment.

On Friday, he will lead Nigeria against South Africa in a critical 2026 World Cup qualifying match in Uyo, marking a pivotal moment in his tenure.

Nigeria is set to play its third match in the series, followed by a challenging encounter against Benin Republic on Monday in Ivory Coast, which serves as the Squirrels’ adopted home ground, providing another stern test for the team.

With only two points from their first two matches, the Super Eagles are third in the Group behind South Africa and Rwanda, meaning Finidi’s task couldn’t have come harder, as he tries to tutor the Eagles back on track.

Moreover, the Super Eagles failed to reach the last edition of the World Cup in Qatar.

The 53-year-old seems to know that nothing less than victory is acceptable in the two games, regardless of the fact that South Africa have only beaten the Eagles once in a competitive game.

“We have trained well, the players understand the task. I trust my players and their quality. It’s a must win game,” Finidi during the pre-match interview.

“The AFCON win against South Africa is gone, this is a new game. We have our plans.”

The former Ajax player also seems to have a knack for scaling his first hurdle, bearing in him the result of the first of two friendlies he handled as well as his debut for the national team as a player in 1991.

In March, Finidi, in interim capacity led the team to a 2-1 win over Ghana before losing 2-0 to Mali.

As a player, Finidi made his debut for Nigeria in 1991 during an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burkina Faso, providing three assists for Rashidi Yekini and scoring once in a 7–1 rout. His performance in that game perhaps made Nigerians forget the pre-match embarrassment which saw the team play the game with some make shift shorts, which were cut from their tracksuits trousers, after the team’s kitman allegedly forgot their shorts in camp.

“I don’t have anything to prove. I am relaxed, it is football. I want to win, I understand the tasks. I am not scared, I played at the highest and we are going for a win.”

Finidi went on to make 62 appearances for Nigeria scoring two goals while winning the 1994 AFCON as well.

Leading up to the matches against South Africa and Benin, the current national team players have certainly put the patience of the former international to the test, with eight of them reporting to camp significantly late.

Despite this, the ex-international had a single opportunity to work with the full 23-man squad on Thursday, their final session before the game. Nevertheless, he remains confident that the team’s preparations have not been significantly impacted.

“The strike affected just three players, I had enough sessions with the squad,” the coach said.