Ex-international, Mobi Okparaku, in an interview with AJIBADE OLUSESAN, expressed his confidence in the abilities of the new Super Eagles coach, Finidi George. He believes that George has the necessary character to handle the egos of the superstar players in his squad. Okparaku is optimistic that the coach will deliver on the mandate given to him by his employers.

Some Nigerians are still sceptical about the capacity of a local coach to manage the Super Eagles, do you think Finidi has what it takes to deliver, especially as the team hope to qualify for the World Cup?

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

There were concerns among some experts about appointing a local coach to lead the Eagles, especially since there was still a chance to qualify for the World Cup. They cited the previous failure of another Nigerian coach, Austin Eguavoen, to qualify the team for the 2022 Mundial as a reason for their anxiety. The question is: are we taking a significant risk with Finidi?

Earlier, I mentioned that every coach has their own football philosophy. I believe Finidi has his own unique style and will impart his ideas to the Eagles team.

He has a group of talented players, and his task is to bring them together to form a cohesive unit. However, we have limited time to achieve our goals, but he has an advantage in that he worked with the former coach, Jose Peseiro, and is familiar with most of the quality players that he can use to achieve our aims and objectives.

Our current goal is to qualify Nigeria for the next World Cup and I believe he can do it. Wondering why? Because he has already worked with the players for several months, and he knows their abilities. He can guide them and help them understand what they need to deliver.

Finidi was initially appointed on an interim basis and he oversaw two friendly matches. He won the first one against Ghana, but his team suffered a 2-0 defeat to Mali, which may have hinted at what his future with the Eagles could be like…

I believe that the loss to Mali has helped him realize that this game does not depend on who you are or where you come from, but rather on what you can bring to the table.

He now understands that he needs to go back to the basics and re-evaluate his strategies. It’s a good thing that he lost in his second game, as it allows him to see his weaknesses and work on them.

Had he won his first game and lost the second, he may have thought that he had already overcome his challenges. He must now reflect on why he lost the second game and make improvements as he moves forward. As I mentioned earlier, he should be given the freedom to do what he needs to do.

Talking about a free hand, most of the time local coaches are not allowed to work freely by their employers. How do you expect Finidi to manage his relationship with the NFF?

Finidi is a straightforward and blunt man. At first glance, it may seem like he is an easygoing person. However, he possesses an amazing character that lets you know he cannot be easily overridden. He is someone you can relate to and is definitely not a pushover.

There were speculations that Emmanuel Amuneke, another former teammate, would succeed Peseiro. Some Nigerians are unhappy he was overlooked. Are you also disappointed?

I have to admit, I never expected the NFF to overlook Amuneke when considering local coaches. 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.

A lot of Nigerians had hoped to see Amuneke and Finidi working together, but it appears that the NFF officials who have the power to make decisions don’t have a favorable view of the former Golden Eaglets coach. As a result, Finidi is considering hiring assistants from outside. Do you think that’s a good decision?

Finidi is the head coach, and he should be given whatever he needs. The technical committee should allow him to have complete control so that he doesn’t complain later about being restricted in his efforts to improve the Super Eagles.

Local coaches often struggle when dealing with players who have big egos. What can Finidi do to manage this challenge?

We have a team of disciplined and talented players. Finidi is one of the best players to ever play with, and I think he will make a great coach with his top-notch attitude and lack of arrogance. Many people see Finidi as quiet and cool, but he is actually a strong and firm character who won’t let anyone trample upon him.

As the new coach, he must make sure everyone understands their common goal and works together to achieve it. He’s not just sitting around waiting for things to happen; he’s taking charge and leading the team towards success.

The players are lucky to have such a genuine role model in charge. Finidi has won everything at both club and international levels, including the Champions League and the Nations Cup.

Eagles reached the final of the last AFCON, but many still complained about the playing style. Under Finidi, should we prioritize good football or results?

I was one of the critics of the football style that was introduced during the last AFCON tournament. It was completely different from what we know as Nigerian football and felt unfamiliar to us. Finidi is a Nigerian who was born and raised here.

He played in Nigeria before moving to Europe, and he understands the Nigerian style of playing football. As the coach of the national team, he should introduce the Nigerian system and pattern of play to the Eagles.

Some Nigerians are saying we must have home-based players in the team. Is it compulsory that we have them or do we go for the best at all times?

Peseiro and Finidi were in the process of building a team before Peseiro left. Now, it is up to Finidi to continue with the project.

his is the World Cup qualifiers, which means it is no longer a testing period to determine who is good and who is not. Maybe after the World Cup qualifiers, Finidi will start inviting home-based players to inject into the Super League.

However, for now, it would be best for him to use all the players he knows and has been building with.