“Never expected NFF to overlook Amunike” – Ex-international backs Finidi despite ex-Barcelona star’s snub

1996 Olympics gold medalist Mobi Oparaku has revealed he was surprised that the Nigeria Football Federation did not appoint Emmanuel Amunike as the new Super Eagles coach, Soccernet.ng reports.

After weeks of twists and turns in selecting a successor to Jose Peseiro, the NFF eventually appointed Finidi George to head the coaching crew of the Nigerian national team.

Amunike was considered a favourite for the role, considering his glittering CV that showed success in handling the Golden Eaglets and the Tanzanian national team.

However, the NFF insisted Finidi got the nod to continue with the project Peseiro started, which he was a key part of as assistant head coach.

Oparaku, though, believed Amunike was first-choice ahead of Finidi by some distance and that he would have been overjoyed if the tacticians had teamed together as coach and assistant.

“I have to admit, I never expected the NFF to overlook Amuneke when considering local coaches,” Oparaku told the New Telegraph.

“Personally, I think he would have been an excellent choice, and if I were in charge, I would have gone with him.

“I truly believe that Amuneke and Finidi would have made a great team, and I would have been overjoyed if they had been selected. In fact, I think it would have been the best thing to happen to Nigerian football in the past decade or so.

“Nevertheless, we will continue to support Finidi and the Nigerian team.”

Despite his preference for Amunike, Oparaku maintains that Finidi is experienced and competent enough to lead the Super Eagles.

And the 1993 FIFA U17 World Cup winner has thrown his support for the former Ajax Amsterdam winger as he builds a team from the Super Eagles' array of top talents.

“Like you said, people have been sceptical about the job. But for me, Finidi is capable,” Oparaku added.

“I know him so well. We played together; he was in the 1994 class, and some of us in the 1996 Olympics squad were fortunate to play with them because they were a bunch of talent.

“His attitude is incredible; he’s one of the most disciplined players I’ve ever seen in my whole life. And he’s humane, he’s one of the best people you can meet, he’s a good man. When it comes to the job, Finidi is one of the best, and he went through a lot.

“Some people may want to ask questions about his experience because he has only handled Enyimba at the senior level, but I think we can give him a chance and rally around him and support him to be one of the best.

“I have always been clamouring for chances for our coaches; because we have neglected our for too long, I am standing 100% with Finidi. Give him support. I know he will do the right thing, and we can watch him do magic with our national team.

“Every coach has their philosophy; we want to start seeing Finidi displaying his ideology with the team. Under the previous coaches, we only had players; we didn’t have a team. Finidi is there to move the team. We have to give him a chance, support him, make him understand that we want him.”

Finidi will look to silence his biggest critics when he leads Nigeria against South Africa and the Benin Republic next month in crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Super Eagles will secure a major boost in their attempt to be at the next Mundial with wins over the Bafana Bafana and the Squirrels.