The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has officially announced the appointment of German tactician Bruno Labbadia as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles. Labbadia becomes the 37th individual to take on the role.
NFF General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi confirmed early Tuesday morning that the Executive Committee approved the Technical and Development Sub-Committee’s recommendation to hire Labbadia, with the appointment taking effect immediately.
Born in Darmstadt, Germany, on February 8, 1966, Labbadia enjoyed a distinguished playing career, including winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 1994. His playing career saw him represent clubs such as Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Armenia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC.
As a coach, he has managed notable teams including Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, and he holds a UEFA Pro License.
Labbadia is the sixth German to manage the Super Eagles, following Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, Berti Vogts, and Gernot Rohr. Notably, Höner guided Nigeria to the runner-up position at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, while Rohr led the team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Labbadia’s immediate task involves leading the Super Eagles in two crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic on September 7 in Uyo and Rwanda on September 10 in Kigali. He will also oversee four additional qualifiers in October and November.
