A former Nigerian defender, Juwon Oshaniwa wants Finidi George to clinch the Super Eagles vacant coaching job; npflupdates.com reports.
Oshaniwa was part of the Super Eagles team that won Nigeria’s third AFCON title a decade ago. And the former Sharks Full-backs remained upbeat that Finidi George can do the job.
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Recall, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is currently scouting for a capable hands to manage the national team following José Peseiro’s exit.
Finidi amongst other coaches(Emmanuel Amuneke, Salisu Yusuf, Antonio Conçeicão, Michael Nsien), who also applied for the job, appears to have jumped to the top of the queue following the latest boost in his CV.
The Olympics gold medalist was in charge on interim basis when Nigeria defeated arch rivals Ghana for the first time in almost two decades.
The former Real Betis winger was part of coach Jose Peseiro’s backroom staff(assistant) during Nigeria’s impressive run-up to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire last month.
Canvassing for support, Juwon, a former Kwara United and Lobi Stars defender believes Finidi George has shown enough capacity and character to be handed the reins of the three-time Africa Cup of Nations winner.
What Juwon said about Finidi George
According to Juwon, Finidi has the needed experience to handle team citing his years of managerial experiences.
“The fact still remains, he’s a good man,” Oshaniwa was quoted by Soccernet Nigeria, said, as per Sports247.
“He’s been in the course of the job so far, doing well in it as well. I know it’s a different ballgame entirely, club side and national team.
“But notwithstanding with the kind of experience that he’s got playing in the national team as well, playing that level of football across the globe, I think he is ripe and okay for the job.”
In another story, ex South African footballer, Thulani Hlatshwayo advises defender Ime Okon, to shun switching his international allegiance to Nigeria.
Okon, 20, was born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and South African mother. He grew up in South Africa, a condition which Thulani thinks is one of the reason he should stay with the Bafana Bafana.
According to the former Bafana Bafana captain, it will be difficult for Okon to break into the Super Eagles team.
That statement hasn’t gone down well with former captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Thulani “Tyson” Hlatshwayo, who feels Okon owes South Africa his allegiance going by the fact that he was raised and nurtured by the system.
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“He grew up here, he studied here, and coach Gavin Hunt took him from Randburg Football Club. He is South African, and he speaks Afrikaans. I have told him he needs to stay in South Africa because it will be difficult for him to crack into the Nigeria national team,” Tyson said of Ikon.
“I told him I am going to stop helping him if he chooses to play for Nigeria because there are things in his game that need to be polished,” Hlatshwayo added.
