In what will be his first big assignment as Nigeria’s new national team coach, Finidi George has insisted that his charges are looking forward to their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash against South Africa.
The Super Eagles are yet to register a win in the qualifiers after back-to-back draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe and know that Bafana Bafana will provide an even bigger test as they will be out to avenge their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final defeat. Nigeria progressed to the final after a 4-2 penalty shootout victory. The match ended 1-1 in regulation and extra time.
“We know Nigerians would love the team to win all the time, and we’ll just get the players focused on the game, one game at a time,” the Nigerian coach said to Eagle FM.
“We focus on the South African game and see how we can win that one before we talk about the Benin Republic game.
“One cannot be scared in life. Going through life is difficult, you walk through it with the difficulties that you know you’ll encounter.
“So that’s how I look at life and approach it that way, and football will not be any different. We will do our job and make sure we get the best out of that game, and apart from that, nothing else.”
During his playing days, George amassed 45 appearances for the national team, scoring eight goals between 1991 and 2002.
The Super Eagles also have a chance to extend their already impressive record against Bafana Bafana to nine wins having won eight of the 13 meetings, drawing four ties and losing just once.
Nigeria host South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Friday, 7 June, in a bid to narrow the gap at the top.
