BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

It is 34 days to the match that will possibly shape Finidi George’s career as the new helmsman on the saddle of Super Eagles’ technical crew.

The Nigeria- South Africa will shape the Super Eagles’ destiny in the qualifying series for the World Cup 2026. Dropping of points in the match will be injurious as the Super Eagles began the race last November in the fashion of coal-propelled locomotive and are now third on the log of a six-team field.

What will put the Super Eagles back into reckoning will be the amassing of the six-points available in the home game with South Africa and the away duel with Benin Republic.

Encounters with South Africa have always evoke deep rooted passion and tension. Will an overtly self-effacing Finidi George be able to soak the looming tension?

Details of his contract is not known and may never been known as it is against the norm in Nigeria for the monetary value of footballers and managers to be revealed.

Also not known are the other members of his technical crew, whether imposed or nominated by the new manager.

Will he be solely responsible to draw up the list for the twin match with South Africa and Benin Republic?

Will he keep on with his current role at Enyimba which is at the cusp of possible 10^th league title?

All these issues have to be straightened out today before we have another Paradise loss and have to be relegated to the spectators’ stands when the enlarged World Cup 2026 gets underway.

It is on record that Finidi George’s goal earned Nigeria their first berth at the World Cup. Will he repeat the deed by qualifying Nigeria to the World Cup as a manager?

Time and actions will tell.

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

After two matches last March in which Nigeria Super Eagles won one and lost the other, the Nigeria Football Federation Finidi George has been judged as the right man for the vacant Super Eagles job.

He thus become the 41^st person to occupy the position since the adhoc engagement of John Finch, former Fulham winger in 1949. According to a press release by the NFF, the board of the federation on Monday approved the recommendation of its technical  development committee to appoint  Finidi George as Head Coach of the  Super Eagles.

George who belong to the Nigeria Golden Generation of Super Eagles of 1994 spent 20 months as assistant to José Santos Peseiro.

In his baptism as an interim national coach, his squad edged Ghana 2-1,  ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game. The loss to Mali was the first time Nigeria had been beaten by Mali since 1972.

As a national team player, George is best known as the player whose goal qualified Nigeria for the World Cup for the first time ever.

It was a goal scored against Algeria on 8 October 1993 – incidentally it was the 44^th anniversary of Nigeria’s maiden international match played against Sierra Leone in 1949.

 Finidi played 60 times for Nigeria and was Nigeria’s 40^th scoring debutant when he came as a substitute in a 7-1 defeat of Burkina Faso on 27 July 1991.

 He is a winner with the Super Eagles at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nation and featured at the World Cup at the USA ‘94 and France ’98.

Incidentally, his major task now is to qualify Nigeria to another World Cup in the USA and two other nations. The match is 35 days away from this Monday.

Enugu Rangers on Sunday beat Plateau United 2-0 to hold on at the top of the Nigeria Premier League. They extended their point haul to 57, two points ahead of their Oriental brothers, Enyimba who also beat Katsina United 1-0 to keep the chase for the title very hot.

Initial second placed team, Remo Stars dropped to the third position but still in contention for either the title, but at worse a continental ticket for next season.

Following Shooting Stars 2-0 defeat of Sunshine Stars in a South West derby, the top four positions of the are now held by the South East and South West as the league gets into its closing stage.

While Rangers and Enyimba are first and second at the moment, Remo Stars, though with an outstanding home game are third while their fellow westerners, Shooting Stars are fourth.

The weekend’s results: 

Rivers United 2-0 Katsina United

Remo Stars 3-0 Niger Tornadoes

Doma United 0-0 Kwara United

Bendel Insurance 1-0 Heartland

Enugu Rangers 2-0 Plateau United

Shooting Stars 2-0 Sunshine Stars

Akwa United 3-0 Kano Pillars

Enyimba 1-0 Katsina United

Gombe United 3-2 Lobi Stars

Sporting Lagos 4-2 Abia Warriors