NFF hires Bruno Labbadia as Super Eagles' head coach

Bruno Labbadia appointed as Nigeria's Super Eagles coach. The German tactician faces AFCON qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda as his first challenge.

Bruno Labaddia has been named as the new Super Eagles head coach, replacing Finidi George on a two-year contract. (Photo credit: BBC)

Bruno Labadia, a German tactician and former VFB Stuttgart manager, is the 37th person to lead the Nigerian Super Eagles.

The German strategist Bruno Labbadia and the Nigeria Football Federation have reached an agreement for Labbadia to lead the Super Eagles, Nigeria's senior men's national team, following the swift exit of George Finidi two months ago.

According to a statement early on Tuesday by NFF General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, the NFF Executive Committee has approved the suggestion of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee to select Mr. Bruno Labbadia as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The appointment takes effect right away.

Originally from Darmstadt, Germany, Labbadia was born on February 8, 1966. During his playing career, he represented Die Mannschaft with two caps. He played for clubs including his hometown team Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Armenia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC. In 1994, Labbadia won the German Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. 

This decade, he has coached well-known teams like Hertha Berlin and VfB Stuttgart. In the past, he has coached teams like Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg, and Hamburger SV. He also has a UEFA Pro License.

After Karl-Heinz Marotzke (who led the Super Eagles twice between 1970 and 1974), Gottlieb Göller (1981), Manfred Höner (1988–1989), Berti Vogts (2007–2008), and Gernot Rohr (2016–2021), he is just the sixth German to hold the position. Höner guided the Eagles to second place in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1988, while Rohr guided Nigeria to the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia in 2018.

The first task facing Labbadi is leading the three-time African champions in two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches—against Benin Republic on Saturday, September 7, in Uyo, and Rwanda on Tuesday, September 10, in Kigali. In October and November, four more games will be played to wrap up the qualifying race.