NFF name Bruno Labbadia new Super Eagles head coach

The Nigeria Football Federation, on Tuesday morning, announced the appointment of German tactician, Bruno Labbadia, as the Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men National Team, Super Eagles, www.aclsports.com reports.

The 2023 AFCON finalists have been without a coach since the sudden resignation of erstwhile head coach Finidi George – who decided to leave the job after talks of bringing in an expatriate. And two and a half months later, the team finally has someone to lead the team ahead of the forthcoming AFCON Qualifiers.

In a statement issued by the nation’s football governing body, General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said: “The NFF Executive Committee has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee to appoint Mr. Bruno Labbadia as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The appointment is with immediate effect.”

Consequently, Labbadia, 58, becomes the 37th man to take charge of the Super Eagles. During his playing days, the German won two caps for Die Mannschaft. He also played for a number of German clubs including FC Kaiserslautern and  Bayern Munich, FC.

In terms of his coaching experience, the former striker has managed the likes of Hertha Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen and more recently VFB Stuttgart in 2023, among others, and holds a UEFA Pro License.

He is also only the sixth German, after Karl-Heinz Marotzke (who had two stints between 1970 and 1974), Gottlieb Göller (1981), Manfred Höner (1988-1989), Berti Vogts (2007-2008) and Gernot Rohr (2016-2021) to lead the Super Eagles.

In the immediate, Labbadia is to take charge of the two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic (Saturday 7th September in Uyo) and Rwanda (Tuesday, 10th September in Kigali), as well as other four matches in October and November to complete the qualifying series.