Eguavoen to lead Super Eagles for Benin, Rwanda fixtures after Labbadia’s withdrawal

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced that Augustine Eguavoen, a former player and Technical Director of the Super Eagles, will step in as the head coach for the team’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda.

This decision comes in the wake of German coach Bruno LabBadia’s unexpected withdrawal from the role.

LabBadia, who was previously named as the successor to Finidi George earlier this week, reportedly declined the position due to unresolved issues with German tax laws.

The NFF disclosed late Friday via a statement on X that these tax concerns were the main obstacle to finalizing the agreement.

NFF President Ibrahim Gusau explained, “We have been on the tax issue for the past three days, and I told him clearly that there was no way the NFF will agree to offset the concomitant tax percentage on his salary that will be demanded by German tax authorities. It is not possible for us to shoulder the responsibility of shelling out another money, between 32% to 40% of his salary, after paying the agreed monthly wage.

“The NFF and Mr. Labbadia reached an agreement in principle before we made the announcement that he would become the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The tax details were never part of our discussions, and he had personally agreed to all terms before the tax issue came up. We were doing our best to be flexible in the discussions but he was adamant that the NFF had to pay the full tax amount as well. We simply cannot do that.”

The NFF has named a 23-player squad for the upcoming qualifiers, with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi, and stand-in captain William Troost-Ekong making their return after extended injury absences.