Sports

NPFL: Finidi appointed Rivers United head coach

Published

2 years ago

Finidi appointed Rivers United technical manager — weeks after Eagles exit

Few weeks after quitting the Super Eagles as national team handler, Finidi George has been appointed as head coach of Rivers United following his unveiling on Tuesday.

The club announced the arrival of the 52-year-old in a post on its X account on Wednesday.

Finidi accepted the new role a few weeks after resigning as head coach of the men’s national team.

The resignation came after managing only two competitive games as the Eagle coach following his appointment in April.

He led the team to a 1-1 home draw against South Africa in his first game and a 2-1 loss to the Benin Republic in the second game. Both matches were 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The latest string of performances condemned Nigeria to fifth in the qualification group, having previously drawn against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

The uninspiring results stirred adverse reactions from Nigerians, particularly on social media.

John Enoh, minister of sports development, then summoned the NFF bosses over the losses to “give cause why there mustn’t be consequences for the disappointment caused both government and the generality of Nigerians”.

Following the backlash, NFF announced it would appoint a foreign technical adviser for the team.

Rivers United is the second Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) that Finidi will be managing. He led Enyimba to 2022/23 NPFL title.