Super Eagles' New Coach Search Continues as Labbadia Walks Away

• Bruno Labbadia rejects offer to become head coach of Nigeria's national football team, the Super Eagles, due to organizational issues.
• The Nigerian Football Federation's premature announcement and failure to resolve key details led to Labbadia's withdrawal, prolonging the team's search for a new coach.

In a stunning turn of events, Bruno Labbadia, the German football coach, has withdrawn from his proposed appointment as the head coach of Nigeria's national team, the Super Eagles. This unexpected decision comes after the Nigerian Football Federation prematurely announced the agreement on Tuesday.

According to reports from the German Media, Labbadia had been in negotiations with the association for over a week, and a verbal agreement was reached on Monday, pending the resolution of some organizational details. However, the association's hasty public announcement, coupled with the outstanding issues, prompted Labbadia to cancel the deal on Friday.

The 58-year-old coach, renowned for his success in turning around struggling teams in the Bundesliga, was attracted to the challenging task of leading Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup. Despite the country's poor start in the qualification campaign, Labbadia saw an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Regrettably, the collaboration foundered on the rocks of organizational inefficiency. The Nigerian Football Association's failure to address the outstanding issues and their premature announcement of the deal ultimately led to Labbadia's withdrawal.

This development marks a significant setback for the Super Eagles, who are struggling to find their footing in the qualification campaign. The search for a new coach will now resume, with the association facing increased pressure to find a suitable candidate to lead the team ahead of next month's 2025 AFCON qualifying matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda.