Nigeria Changes Coach Again Ahead of Match Against Amavubi

The Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Augustine Eguavoen, has been appointed to coach the upcoming matches against Benin and Rwanda next month.

This decision follows the inability of German coach Bruno Labbadia, who had been appointed to lead the Super Eagles, to reach an agreement with the NFF regarding salary taxes.

Nigeria will first host Benin on September 7 before traveling to Kigali to face Rwanda’s Amavubi on September 10, in the first two matches of Group D in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Morocco.

On Friday evening, the NFF announced that both matches would be coached by Augustine Eguavoen, a former Super Eagles player and the current Technical Director of the NFF.

This decision was made after German coach Bruno Labbadia refused the job he had been offered earlier in the week.

Labbadia, who had been announced as Finidi George’s replacement on Tuesday, failed to reach an agreement with the NFF due to tax issues, with his salary being subject to German tax laws, which require deductions of between 32% and 40%.

In a statement posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), NFF President Ibrahim Gusau stated that they had spent three days discussing the tax issue, but ultimately failed to reach a resolution.

“NFF and Labbadia had agreed on the basics before we announced him as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The tax issue was not part of the initial discussions, and we had reached an agreement before the tax issue arose. We did everything possible, but he insisted that the NFF should cover all the taxes, which we could not afford.” He added.

The NFF had previously announced a 23-man squad for the upcoming matches, including Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi, and Captain William Troost-Ekong, who missed the last matches due to injuries.

This marks the fourth time Augustine Eguavoen has been appointed to coach Nigeria, following stints in 2005-2007, 2010, and 2022.

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