The Super Eagles were held to a draw by the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in their World Cup qualifier on Friday night, marking a dissapointing start to the official reign of Finidi George as the national team’s head coach.
Surprisingly, Finidi left Victor Boniface as an unused substitute, despite having an incredible 2023–2024 season with Bayer Leverkusen, contributing 31 goals for the Bundesliga champions.
Finidi George defends Boniface snub
After the game, the media questioned the under-fire Super Eagles boss about his perplexing choice to pass on Boniface, who was just able to watch from the sidelines.
“He was supposed to come in but when we heard [Semi] Ajayi complain that he had a knock, he couldn’t continue. So we had to reverse that,’ said the former Eyimba boss as he defends his decision to leave Boniface on the bench, as posted in a video on Instagram by Nigerian journalist Calister.
Finidi George addresses Onuachu decision
According to a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Oganla Media, the Super Eagles boss also addressed the Onuachu situation, as he was questioned for leaving the Trabzonspor striker till late in the game before taking him off.
“No one will tell me when to make changes, the crowd can be shouting. Everyone is a coach, when you stand outside you see, but when you sit there you don’t see anything.
“Onuachu stayed longer in the game, it was our decision, that should not bother anyone,” Finidi George said.
Following a recent setback in the previous qualifier campaign, having failed to make it to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Super Eagles now face a daunting task as they aim to secure their place at the finals after managing just three points in three games.
