4th July 2024
Former Super Eagles coach Finidi George says he is looking forward to making an impact in his hometown of Port Harcourt and his boyhood club, Rivers United, after being announced as the club’s new coach on Wednesday.
He was announced as the head coach of the 2022 NPFL champions on a two-year deal with a formal presentation before the fans set for Thursday (today) at the Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt.
The 53-year-old is making a return to the dugout, barely three weeks after resigning as the head coach of the Super Eagles, having managed only two games.
“First I have to say I am very happy to be here. This is where I grew up; I started my football career in Sharks back then,” Finidi said after signing his contract.
“I left this place a footballer and back as a coach. As a coach, there are chapters you have to close and new ones have to emerge. Rivers United is a very big team seeing the results in the last season inspired me to come back and see how I can impact a little bit.
“I’ve been working in Abia State for some time and I think this is an opportunity for me to give back. I decided to take this challenge to come back to Rivers State. I’m not here for fun.”
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Since winning the NPFL in 2022, Rivers United have played two consecutive seasons on the continent but their eighth-place finish last season leaves Finidi with the target of restoring their continental status.
“The target for a big team like Rivers is all about winning. We all want results but we have to work towards it. The target is to at least get the continental ticket next season and we will try our best to do that.”
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.
He was appointed as the Super Eagles coach in April and left in June, 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.
