NO HONEYMOON PERIOD FOR FINIDI GEORGE, SAYS AHMED MUSA

Read Time:3 Minute, 33 Second

Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has backed new Nigeria head coach Finidi George, but says the expectations for success are high for the former player-turned-mentor.

George was officially confirmed as Nigeria coach last month after spending the last two years as assistant to former coach Jose Peseiro, and then taking over in an interim capacity in March, and will lead the team for the first time in his new capacity in two World Cup qualifying games against South Africa and Benin this month.

The former Leicester City forward told ESPN there will be no honeymoon period: “There is a lot of expectations for him now that we have two very difficult games to play for the World Cup qualifiers.

“The important thing is just to win these two games because if we win, a lot of confidence will come for him and the team. So we just have to support him and wish him best of luck.”

Finidi’s appointment came after the NFF received multiple applications, with his former teammate Emmanuel Amunike a front runner, but Musa insists that Finidi was the right man for the job, and believes he will be successful.

Musa added: “His appointment is good. He has stayed with the team and he knows a lot about the players, even more than people think. We just need to support him and believe in ourselves as a team.

“From working with him, I believe he is a good man who is always ready to learn and give his best. He should continue with what he is doing and I believe he be successful.”

Musa also warned that those who underestimate Finidi, do so at their own peril, and that the former Super Eagles winger has the respect of the players: “Even during the Nations Cup, he always talked to the players and that respect is shown to him as a former player and now as Super Eagles coach, he has a lot of respect.

“I definitely respect him and people saying players will not respect him will know that even though he doesn’t talk much, he can be very tough when he needs to be.”

Nigeria, who failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, have made a less than stellar start to life in the current qualifiers, drawing their first two games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, and now find themselves needing to do well in this qualifying window, especially against fellow front-runners South Africa.

Bafana Bafana are also facing some struggles of their own. After an opening day victory, they had a chance to put some daylight between them and the Super Eagles, but found themselves beaten by Rwanda, who now top the group.

But they have additional motivation to beat Nigeria, according to Musa: “The game against South Africa is going to be tough because we eliminated them in the semifinal of the Africa Cup of Nations.

“And our Super Falcons also eliminated their women’s team from the Olympics so they will come for revenge because they will not want us to eliminate them from the World Cup, too.

“But we are playing at home so we don’t have to panic, we just have to give our best and do what we know how to do best on the pitch.”

Despite the importance of the fixtures, or maybe because of it, Musa is one a number of experienced players not called up by Finidi for the games, but says that is not a concern.

“I have spoken to him and there is nothing to worry about,” he told ESPN. “We didn’t qualify for the World Cup last time and everybody was sad.

“The federation went through a lot, and the players went through a lot because players’ market value declined and it was a very difficult time for a lot of the players because we didn’t qualify for the World Cup.

“That is why that makes this very important this time and we can’t joke about it because World Cup is more important, especially for the young ones coming in. And of course, it is also very important for the country too.

“Qualifying would be a very big moment. It is not going to be very easy but we will do it.”