The Rivers United head coach Finidi George has urged those managing Nigerian football to shield the national team from the ongoing crisis within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as the country prepares for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
Finidi said the administrative upheaval surrounding Nigerian football should not be allowed to destabilise the Super Eagles, insisting that attention must remain on providing the team with the necessary support to compete successfully.
The former Ajax winger made the call amid significant changes in the country’s football administration. The NFF leadership recently resigned, while FIFA and CAF have begun a joint assessment of the federation’s governance, legal, administrative and electoral situation.
The federation’s electoral process has also been halted pending the outcome of the assessment. According to Finidi, any restructuring that is required should be handled at the administrative level without allowing the uncertainty to affect the players and technical crew.
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The Super Eagles are preparing for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, where Nigeria have been drawn in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania. The qualifying campaign is scheduled to begin during the September international window.
The campaign comes after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, increasing attention on the national team and the wider administration of Nigerian football.Finidi, who left his position as Super Eagles head coach in 2024, has also supported calls for reforms within Nigerian football.
However, he believes such reforms should not interfere with the team’s preparations or performance on the pitch.His message is that the players already understand the demands of the technical setup and should be allowed to concentrate on their responsibilities rather than becoming distracted by developments in the federation.
With Nigeria seeking to return to the Africa Cup of Nations after the disappointment surrounding the World Cup qualification campaign, Finidi believes administrators should focus on creating stability around the team.
The former Nigeria international’s position is that changes in the boardroom and preparations on the pitch should remain separate, allowing the Super Eagles to focus fully on securing qualification for AFCON 2027.
