Ex-Real Madrid midfielder warns NFF against forcing assistants on Finidi George

Former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju has advised the Nigeria Football Federation against forcing assistants on Finidi George, Soccernet.ng reports.

The NFF announced the appointment of former Ajax man Finidi as the new Super Eagles last week, but there were some notable irregularities with the announcement, as the details of the deal were not revealed.

The NFF did not reveal the duration of the deal, neither did they reveal Finidi’s assistants. These details are important, as with the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic coming up in June, everything has to be sorted so the team can focus.

According to recent reports, the NFF have already started talks to appoint assistants for Finidi. Meanwhile, there have been questions concerning who gets to pick the assistants.

In Jose Peseiro’s time, the NFF picked the Nigerian assistants, while the Portuguese brought in his own assistants and was paying them from his salary.

However, this time, the NFF may adopt a different approach, especially as Finidi is an indigenous coach. In a new development, former Real Madrid man Adepoju, who also played for the Super Eagles believes the NFF should employ a different approach and let Finidi choose his assistants.

“A coach is the one that knows who he wants to work with, who he is confident in. With the help of the NFF, they will be able to choose the suitable backroom staff for him. I believe he has to have a say in choosing his backroom staff, not just imposing coaches or anybody on him,” Finidi told News Central.

“He should have a way of bringing in people that he is going to have confidence in. Coaches that will enhance his job and make things work. I think he should have a say in picking the backroom staff that he wants to work with.”

If Finidi is allowed to bring in his own assistants, there is a possibility that some of them could be foreign, and that would cost the NFF more.