‘I have that tough skin’ - Super Eagles new coach Finidi George says he is not afraid of challenges

Finidi George has officially been unveiled as the new Super Eagles head coach following his appointment a few weeks ago.

On Monday morning, he was introduced at an event that was attended by Nigeria's Sports Minister, Senator John Enoh, and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau. 

Finidi's first task as the new head coach is to qualify the Super Eagles for the 2026 World Cup and claims he is not scared of the challenge.

Nigeria is currently third in the group, behind Rwanda and Bafana Bafana. They will play South Africa and Benin in June, and they need to win both matches.

However, Finidi has emphasised that he does not define the term "pressure" and has urged important parties, including the media, to support him.

Finidi said in his press conference, as reported on X, "In life, you cannot be afraid. As you see me here, I am a quiet person but I'm not afraid of anything. 

“The worst you can get in football is not getting the result, the best you can get is winning all the time, and I will try my best to make sure that the team functions properly and we start winning games.

"Pressure, I don't think I have it. I have that tough skin and I want to plead with you guys, the media we need your support.

"What is in the contract is boldly written, what the NFF want and Nigeria in general, but for me personally, my first target is to make sure we are in line to qualify for the World Cup.

“AFCON qualifiers definitely will be coming up soon, but the major step for me is these two games that we have. If we can win against South Africa and Benin, we will set the tone."

In the next few days, Finidi is expected to release his team list for the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.

Meanwhile, the NFF has announced that ex-Super Eagles striker Daniel Amokachi and Abiden Baruwa will be the assistant coach and goalkeeper coach respectively.