The Newly appointed Super Eagles manager, Bruno Labbadia, has turned down the job, barely three days after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced his appointment.
As gathered, Labbadia turned down the coaching job over inability for him and the NFF to reach agreement on key details of the contract.
With the new development, the Super Eagles will be without a coach who will succeed Finidi George and thinker the team ahead of its crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin and Rwanda.
Sources confirmed the development on Friday, stating that NFF may have jumped the gun to announce Labbadia’s appointment.
They added that while the financial terms were largely settled, crucial organizational details remained unresolved, ultimately leading to Labbadia’s decision to reject the offer but before him by the NFF.
Sources close to the negotiations revealed that discussions between the former Stuttgart coach and the NFF began last weekend and it initially showed promise.
However, despite the federation’s claims, Labbadia never gave a formal commitment or signed any contract.
The German tactician was reportedly drawn to the job’s sporting potential, but the unresolved issues proved to be a deal breaker.
The NFF will now to find a new manager before the AFCON qualifiers kick off in September.
Prior to Labbadia’s announcement, there had been speculation that former coach Austin Eguavoen might take charge in a temporary capacity.
Another ex-Super Eagles coach and former international, Samson Siasia, who recently completed a five-year football ban, was also mentioned as a potential stopgap option.
Meanwhile, the NFF has called up 23 players for the upcoming qualifiers, with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi, and stand-in captain William Troost-Ekong returning to the squad after long injury layoffs.
