Even in academics, that one is a successful student during his/her days in school, is not a guarantee that such person will be a good Teacher or Lecturer if given opportunity.
The above analogy perfectly suits the case of Finidi George who was recently appointed as the head coach of the Super Eagles and later resigned. No doubt while a player, he ranked among the most decorated ex-internationals. He won the Champions League with Ajax among other trophies.
But, as a coach, he was found wanting. Apart from his failure to depart from the old ways of inviting players to play for the National team, his resignation, for me is not coming at the right time giving that he had already put Nigeria in a tight rope to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
In all fairness, the shoe given to Finidi George to wear was too big for him right from day one, hence he decided to resign having realized he can’t make meaningful transition with the team. To many Nigerians and football enthusiasts, Finidi George messed up big time by not continuing until the last game of the qualifiers.
While criticisms, insults, others continue to flood the social media space, what is important at this point is to get a capable handler to see if the hopes of the country qualifying for the 2026 World Cup will be revived having missed the previous World Cup.
Finidi George has done his beat, though failed to transform the Super Eagles and giving them winning mentality, Nigerians must therefore respect his decision and come to terms with the fact that not all legends in the round leather game can be successful coaches.
Izuchukwu Nwokoma a Journalist, Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Umuahia.