The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), on May 2, announced Finidi George, a former coach of Enyimba Football Club of Aba, as the new coach of the Super Eagles.

With this appointment, Finidi becomes the 10th Indigenous coach to lead the Super Eagles in the past two decades.

The former Ajax and Real Betis player accepted to take over the team currently third in Group C of the African World Cup qualifiers, having missed out on the last edition in Qatar.

Let’s take a look at Finidi’s trusted staff, who will assist him in ushering in a new era with the Eagles..

Daniel Amokachi (First assistant coach)

Amokachi, a former teammate of Finidi, was a pivotal member of the Eagles class of 1994, which clinched the AFCON title that year and advanced to the round of 16 in their inaugural appearance at the World Cup.

Nicknamed “The Bull” by his admirers, he recently completed his CAF A coaching license in Morocco. He served as an assistant coach to the late Stephen Keshi when Nigeria last clinched the AFCON title in 2013 in South Africa, and he briefly took the helm as the team’s head coach in 2014. Additionally, Amokachi has previously managed the country’s U-23 team and the CHAN Eagles.

After retiring from playing, Amokachi went on to manage Nigerian clubs Nasarawa United (his final playing club before retirement in 2005) and later Enyimba of Aba. He also took charge of the country’s U-23 team and the CHAN Eagles.

Benjamin James (Second assistant coach)

James, dubbed ‘Police of Senegal’ for his adeptness in foiling opposing attacks, much like Amokachi, began his career as a footballer, predominantly as a centreback.

With 11 caps for Nigeria, James featured for Plateau United, Shooting Stars, and the now-defunct Stationary Stores before making a move to Italy, where he excelled with Catania. Following a season there, he transferred to Carl Zeiss Jena in Germany in 1997.

He also played for VFR Mannheim and SV Weingarten before he retired in 2003. James has for over a decade been at German Bundesliga club Hoffenheim as an assistant coach of the youth team.

Olatunji Baruwa (Goalkeepers’ trainer)

George has decided to keep Olutunji Baruwa as the goalkeepers coach for the Super Eagles. The two worked closely together under Peseiro, with George serving as one of the Portuguese’s assistants.

Baruwa stepped into the role, taking over from former Super Eagles goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu, just in time for Nigeria’s AFCON 2023 qualifier double-header against Guinea-Bissau.

Chima Onyeike (Fitness trainer)

Born in Zeist, Netherlands, to a Nigerian father, Onyeike enjoyed a distinguished playing career, representing clubs including DEV, WGW, HRC, HFC Haarlem, Dordrecht, Excelsior, VVV-Venlo, TOP Oss, Cambuur, and Quick Boys.

After retiring from professional football, Onyeike pursued further education in sports, obtaining his diploma in fitness.

After transitioning into personal training, he collaborated with esteemed players such as Roy Makaay and Aleksandr Kerzhakov. In July 2011, he took on the position of fitness coach at Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.

In June 2013, Onyeike moved to Greek club PAOK as their fitness coach. Then, on November 25, 2014, he commenced his role as the fitness coach for VfB Stuttgart. From July 2018 to June 2022, he served as the Conditioning Coach for Dutch side Willem II.

Mehmet Ozturk (Analyst)

Mehmet Ozturk hails from Turkey, and while not much information is available about him, he serves as George’s match reader/analyst. Ozturk specializes in prototype match analysis software and brings his expertise to the role. The 59-year-old has gained experience with several European teams throughout his career.