Sports Minister Rallies Support For New Coach of Super Eagles, Finidi George.
… Describes his appointment as Symbolic , Momentous
Oru Leonard
Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, on Monday, rallied support of critical stakeholders and Nigerians for Finidi George, the newly appointed Coach of the Senior National Team, the Super Eagles.
Speaking at the unveiling of Finidi George as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles on Monday inside the Media Centre of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Senator Enoh who observed that the appointment of Finidi George as the National Team Coach was well received by Nigerians expressed his confidence in his ability to take the Super Eagles to a new height.
For this to happen, he stated that the new coach requires the support of all Nigerians for him to succeed. According to the Minister, with his appointment, Finidi George has the responsibility to bring back the liveliness and excitement of the Nigerian Football.
The Minister stated that the administration of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’ started with so much support for Nigerian Football adding that, we can’t afford to let him down.
Earlier in his remarks the President of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF)’ Dr. Ibrahim Muza Gusau, stated that the appointment of Finidi George signalled a new dawn in the history of Nigerian Football. He said that his appointment was in line with the clamour of Nigerians for the appointment of an indigenous coach to handle the Super Eagles.
He explained that it was in deference to this yearning that the federation directed the technical team saddled with the responsibility of picking the coach to look inwards and choose an indigenous coach for the national team. Now that the choice of the coach has been made, he called on all Nigerians to support him to succeed in his new role especially with the the World Cup and AFCON qualifiers in sight.
He assured that as a policy, the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF gave Finidi George the freehand to choose his technical staff. Ibrahim Gusau stressed that the assistants will be paid on game-by-game basis to avoid crisis in the payment of their allowances that had bedevilled the process in the past. He also assured that they will be entitled to bonuses and entitlements enjoyed by players and coaches.
In his response, Finidi George, the newly appointed Coach of the Super Eagles thanked NFF and Nigerians for his appointment. He promised to put in his best in the task of lifting Nigerian Football to the next level.
Former Nigerian international, Daniel Amokachi(Assistant Coach),Olatunji Baruwa( Goalkeeper Trainer), Chima Onyeka(Fitness Trainer)and Benjamin James were also unveiled as members of the technical team.
(Diana Mary Nsan, SA Media to HMSD)