The Nigeria Football Federation has named German tactician Bruno Labbadia as head coach of the Super Eagles.
The appointment of Labbadia was made public by the football federation early on Tuesday morning, after months of hunting for a new manager for the three-time African champions.
The statement, which was posted on the NFF official account on X, read:
‘’The Nigeria Football Federation has announced that it has reached an agreement with German tactician, Bruno Labbadia, to become the Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men National Team, Super Eagles.”
German, Bruno Labbadia, becomes 37th Head Coach of the @NGSuperEagles
The Nigeria Football Federation has announced that it has reached an agreement with German tactician, Bruno Labbadia, to become the Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men National Team, Super Eagles. pic.twitter.com/AKq92upW4g
— The NFF 🇳🇬 (@thenff) August 27, 2024
The Nigerian national team has been without a coach since the resignation of former Ajax star Finidi George in June.
Who is Bruno Labbadia?
During his eventful career as a player, Labbadia played as a striker for FC Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, and Bayern Munich, among other clubs.
Before his retirement in 2003, Labbadia won the DFB-Pokal with FC Kaiserslautern and the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. He also has two caps for the German national team.
Like his playing career, he immediately entered coaching and has solely coached German teams, including Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen.
Labbadia’s most recent coaching stint was at VfB Stuttgart. He took over the team in December 2022, but his tenure was short-lived. Due to the team’s relegation to the bottom of the Bundesliga table, Labbadia was dismissed in April 2023.
Super Eagles look to new manager for resurgence
As the Super Eagles struggle to regain their form, having gone winless in their last four matches, their newly appointed manager is under immense pressure to turn things around quickly.
The former FC Cologne coach will have the opportunity to make a significant impact when he takes charge of Nigeria’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda next month.
