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What People Don’t Know About Super Eagles Coach
Former Super Eagles’ ace winger and victorious coach of Enyimba Football Club of Aba, Finidi George, was announced as the new Manager of Nigeria’s National Football team, the Super Eagles, last week, by the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF. This puts to rest, for now, the search for a new Eagles’ helmsman.
George was chosen ahead of other applicants for the job, which included one of Nigeria’s most famous left-wingers of all time, Emmanuel Amuneke, who was also, like George, a member of the “best” Eagles squad coached by illustrious Dutch manager, Clemens Westerhof, between 1989 and 1995.
He, just like the late Stephen Keshi and former Eagle’s Coach, Samson Siasia, represents the ideal home-grown professional, national football hero with adequate foreign exposure to inspire respect and loyalty in our players. The ball is now literally in his court to justify the confidence reposed in him.
However, there are many things about the ex-Eagle, now manager that many don’t know. City People went back the time to unveil some heroics done by this amazing man, on and off the field of play, and how he came to the limelight.
Born on April 15, 1971, in Port Harcourt, but a native of Bayelsa State (Formerly in Rivers State), the name Finidi translates into English as “a future full of the sun”.
Considered to be one of Nigeria’s greatest wingers, Finidi was a physically strong and tall player who was known for his deceptively rapid pace, accurate crosses, and efficient dribbles. He was also known for his accurate free kicks. Finidi was not only known for his technical abilities, but he also possessed a unique footballing brain and solid dribbling skills.
He played for three clubs in Nigeria including Calabar Rovers and Sharks of Port Harcourt. His innate talent caught the attention of European scouts at a tender age, setting the stage for a remarkable journey in the world of football.
He made his debut for Nigeria in 1991, in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burkina Faso, providing three assists for Rashidi Yekini and scoring once in a 7–1 rout. George scored the goal that took Nigeria to her first FIFA World Cup finals when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October 1993.
The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in the United States. That was the game where he etched his name in Nigerian football history.
He helped the national team win the 1994 edition of the tournament in Tunisia and also achieved one second and two third-place finishes.
Finidi represented Nigeria in two FIFA World Cups, 1994 and 1998. In the former, held in the United States, as the national team won their group and exited in the round of 16 against eventual finalists Italy, he scored against Greece in a 2–0 win, proceeding to mimic a urinating dog whilst celebrating.
In the 1998 tournament in France, Finidi also played in all the matches, with Nigeria meeting the same fate at the hands of Denmark. He had already vowed to quit international football before the competition and earned a total of 62 caps.
Finidi played for three clubs in his country. In 1993, he arrived at AFC Ajax alongside compatriot Nwankwo Kanu. His impact with the Amsterdam side was immediate as he scored four goals in 27 games to help them win the Eredivisie title, which was also achieved in the following two seasons; additionally, as a starter, he appeared in consecutive UEFA Champions League finals, winning the 1994–95 edition against A.C. Milan.
On 10 July 1996, Finidi moved to Spain and signed with Real Betis for 1,024 million pesetas, where he netted in three digits in nearly every season, with the Andalusians finishing fourth in his first year, which also brought a Copa del Rey final loss to FC Barcelona (2–3 after extra time), where he scored; before joining the club he was close to moving to Real Madrid, but the deal fell through.
After Betis’ relegation from the top flight in 2000, Finidi stayed one more year in Spain with RCD Mallorca, after which he joined Premier League team Ipswich Town, managed by George Burley, for £3.1 million. He scored twice in a 3–1 victory over Derby County at Portman Road, but underperformed overall, with them also suffering relegation, he was released from the contract in June 2003.
In November 2003, the 32-year-old Finidi underwent a trial at former club Mallorca, following which he signed with the Balearic Islands team, helping them finally finish in 11th position after constantly battling relegation. He retired from the game in the summer.
In mid-November 2010, Finidi returned to Betis as its director of international football. He continued, however, to live in Palma, Majorca, where he had relocated to after his retirement.
Meanwhile, Finidi was not the only footballer from his family who took football as a major profession, He had an elder brother who also emulated his football journey.
Alari George was an established footballer between 1985 and 1995 and he played for Sharks of Port Harcourt, NNPC Warri, and Udoji United. He also played in Cameroon before coming back to the Nigeria league and retired sometime in the mid-90s.
However, another established footballer from the George family had his life cut short tragically. Amidst the glory of Finidi’s sporting achievements, tragedy struck in 1995 when his younger brother, Igeniwari George, a promising footballer himself, was tragically killed after a cup game between Rangers International and Stationery Stores at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.
Igeniwari was a member of the Golden Eaglets team at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in that same year.
The loss left Finidi grappling with profound grief, a wound that remains a poignant reminder of life’s fragility.
“It was a terrible experience. I got the news of his death hours before an away game for Ajax. Van Gaal asked me if I could play or I needed some time off but I told him I wanted to play,” Finidi said in an interview with Legit.
“I played in that game but it wasn’t one of my best games. Days later, I traveled to Nigeria to see my late brother’s body but the police said they were doing some investigations concerning his death and couldn’t release the body.
“After spending some days in Nigeria, I had to go back to Europe as it was taking too long for my brother’s body to be released. I went back to Nigeria again but I still couldn’t see him so I went back to my club.
“That was how I missed his burial and till today, we don’t know who killed him as the police never got back to us with their investigation,” Finidi concluded.
Beyond his coaching endeavors, his impact extends far beyond the pitch. His commitment to nurturing young talent and preserving the legacy of Nigerian football underscores his enduring passion for the beautiful game, therefore he must re-enact the magic he picked up from his former coaches, especially Westerhof and Bonfrere Jo, and revive the fast attack, strong wing play which Nigerian football had used to great advantage. We expect him to rise above the petty sentiments that often draw back our football progress and make decisions that focus strongly on results.
Finally, George should take inspiration from other indigenous coaches in Africa who have excelled, such as our own Keshi, Rigobert Song of Cameroon, Hassan Shehata of Egypt, Aliou Cisse of Senegal, and others, who have shown that Africa can compete at managerial level with the best in the world. Finidi George must bring prestige and esteem to indigenous coaches and continue where our heroic Stephen Okechukwu Keshi stopped by bringing glory to Nigeria.
–Benprince Ezeh
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