By Kayode John
German coach Bruno Labbadia has explained the main reason why he turned down the opportunity to become the Super Eagles head coach.
On August 27, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced the appointment of Labbadia as the new Super Eagles coach, in preparation for the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers after Finidi George’s resignation.
However, the deal collapsed four days later, and the NFF blamed “tax details” for scuppering its plan to appoint the former Bayern Munich striker.
But according to Bild, the 58-year-old in an interview with Martin Harnik on his podcast “Flatterball”, dispelled the speculation about financial differences.
“I wanted to go abroad. The basic requirement for me was: I have to go to Nigeria to see everything on site. And that was no longer possible after it was announced,” Labbadia said.
“It was no longer about the pay. There were various organizational things that were problematic. And then things got tighter and tighter, so that I didn’t have two days left for the meeting with the national team.
“Then I pulled the ripcord because the feeling was getting worse and worse. I wanted to be there for four or five days before the team arrived to take a look at the conditions.
“They were great conversations. And what’s important to me: It was solely due to my feeling that I didn’t have the time I wanted to give 100 percent. That’s why I declined.”
Following Labbadia’s withdrawal from the deal, the federation drafted in its Technical Director Austin Eguavoen as caretaker coach for the qualifiers.
Eguavoen has since delivered positive results, guiding the Eagles to the top of Group D on seven points from three matches with a game in hand.
