Finidi George appointed as new Rivers United coach

Former Super Eagles coach Finidi George has taken up another managerial job at Nigeria Premier Football League side, Rivers United, barely three weeks after resigning as the head coach of Nigeria’s men’s senior national team, The PUNCh reports.

Finidi was announced as the head coach of the 2022 NPFL champions on Wednesday with an unveiling set to follow on Thursday.

“Rivers United Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Finidi George as our new Technical Manager,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.

Finidi brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, having had a distinguished playing career spanning over fifteen years.

The statement reads, “His impressive credentials include winning the Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles in 1994, the UEFA Champions League with Ajax in 1995, and the Nigeria Premier Football League with Enyimba International FC in 2023.

As a coach, Finidi has demonstrated his ability to lead teams to success, and we are confident that he will bring his expertise and passion to our club. We are excited to have him on board and look forward to a successful tenure under his leadership.”

Finidi left his role as the Super Eagles head coach in June after two games in charge.

It was in the wake of the team’s poor performance in two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and the Benin Republic which forced the Nigeria Football Federation to resort to hiring a foreign technical adviser for the team

Before taking the Super Eagles job, Finidi spent two full seasons and almost completed the third with Enyimba, leading them to their record-ninth NPFL title in 2023.

At Rivers United, he takes over the leadership from head coach Evans Ogenyi, who guided the club until the end of last season after the dismissal of the long-serving Stanley Eguma.

A native of Port Harcourt, the 53-year-old began his career with Calabar Rovers, Iwanyanwu Nationale and represented local club Sharks FC – which was merged in 2016 with Dolphins to form Rivers United – for two seasons before embarking on a stellar European career.