Former German international Bruno Labbadia has been named Nigeria’s new coach, becoming the third appointment to the role this year. He will lead the Super Eagles in their upcoming AFCON qualifying campaign.
Bollywood Fever: In a surprising move, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced the appointment of former German international Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.
The 58-year-old, who has a wealth of experience in the Bundesliga, becomes the third person to take on the role this year.
The NFF made the announcement on social media on Tuesday, stating that Labbadia’s appointment is “with immediate effect,” though the details of his contract duration have not been disclosed.
Labbadia’s appointment comes just 12 days before Nigeria begins their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign with a Group D home match against neighbors Benin in Uyo. The Super Eagles will then travel to Rwanda for an away fixture three days later.
Labbadia, who has managed top German clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, and Hertha Berlin, is taking on his first coaching role outside Germany.
He replaces Finidi George, who was in charge of the team for four matches earlier this year.
As a player, Labbadia was a striker who earned two caps for Germany and played for Bayern Munich, among other clubs.
His immediate focus will be on guiding Nigeria through their AFCON qualifying campaign, with the goal of securing a spot in the finals, which will be held in Morocco in late 2025.
Nigeria, the top seeds in their group, will face Libya in addition to Benin and Rwanda, with the top two teams qualifying for the tournament. However, Labbadia’s challenges will escalate next March when Nigeria resumes their World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Super Eagles have had a disappointing start in the African qualifying Group C, going winless in their first four games and sitting fifth out of six teams.
Despite the poor start, they still have six matches to play in their quest to win the group and secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup finals, to be held in North America.
This poor run of form is surprising, especially after Nigeria’s strong showing at the AFCON earlier this year, where they reached the final under Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro.
However, despite their impressive performance, Peseiro’s contract was not renewed, and he departed immediately after the tournament.
Labbadia now steps into a role that has seen a long list of foreign coaches, including former German World Cup winner Berti Vogts, well-traveled Serb Bora Milutinovic, and Brazilian Otto Gloria.
The position is often regarded as one of the most challenging in African sports, with high expectations from fans and frequent administrative challenges.
Nigeria is a three-time African champion and has qualified for six of the last eight World Cups, although they missed out on the 2022 finals in Qatar.
Labbadia’s task will be to restore Nigeria to its former glory and secure a spot in the upcoming major tournaments.
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