Joe
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed the appointment of German coach Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach of the Super Eagles, Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi.
“The NFF Executive Committee has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee to appoint Mr. Bruno Labbadia as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The appointment is with immediate effect,” said Dr. Sanusi.
Labbadia, born on February 8, 1966, in Darmstadt, Germany, brings a wealth of experience to the role. He earned two caps for Germany’s national team, Die Mannschaft, and had a successful playing career with clubs including Bayern Munich, Hamburger SV, and Werder Bremen. As a coach, Labbadia has managed top German clubs like Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart, and Wolfsburg. He holds a UEFA Pro License.
Labbadia is the sixth German to lead the Super Eagles, following in the footsteps of Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, Berti Vogts, and Gernot Rohr. His immediate task will be to guide the three-time African champions in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic on September 7 in Uyo and Rwanda on September 10 in Kigali. Additional qualifiers will follow in October and November.
Super Eagles’ Coaches Through History:
– John Finch (England) – 1949
– Daniel Anyiam (Nigeria) – 1954-1956; 1964-1965
– Les Courtier (England) – 1956-1960
– Moshe Beit Halevi (Israel) – 1960-1961
– George Vardar (Hungary) – 1961-1963
– Joey Blackwell (England) – 1963-1964
– József Ember (Hungary) – 1965-1968
– Sabino Barinaga (Spain) – 1968-1969
– Peter ‘Eto’ Amaechina (Nigeria) – 1969-1970
– Karl-Heinz Marotzke (Germany) – 1970-1971; 1974
– Jorge Penna (Brazil) – 1972-1973
– Jelisavčić ‘Father Tiko’ Tihomir (Yugoslavia) – 1974-1978
– Otto Glória (Brazil) – 1979-1982
– Gottlieb Göller (Germany) – 1981
– Adegboye Onigbinde (Nigeria) – 1983-1984; 2002
– Chris Udemezue (Nigeria) – 1984-1986
– Patrick Ekeji (Nigeria) – 1985
– Paul Hamilton (Nigeria) – 1987; 1989
– Manfred Höner (Germany) – 1988-1989
– Clemens Westerhof (Netherlands) – 1989-1994
– Amodu Shaibu (Nigeria) – 1994-1995; 1996-1997; 2001-2002; 2008-2010
– Johannes Bonfrere (Netherlands) – 1995-1996; 1999-2001
– Philippe Troussier (France) – 1997
– Monday Sinclair (Nigeria) – 1997-1998
– Bora Milutinović (Yugoslavia) – 1998
– Thijs Libregts (Netherlands) – 1999
– Christian Chukwu (Nigeria) – 2002-2005
– Augustine Eguavoen (Nigeria) – 2005-2007; 2010; 2022
– Berti Vogts (Germany) – 2007-2008
– Lars Lagerbäck (Sweden) – 2010
– Samson Siasia (Nigeria) – 2010-2011; 2016
– Stephen Keshi (Nigeria) – 2011-2014; 2015
– Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria) – 2015-2016
– Gernot Rohr (Germany) – 2016-2021
– José Peseiro (Portugal) – 2022-2024
– Finidi George (Nigeria) – 2024
– Bruno Labbadia (Germany) – 2024-?
