In a recent development, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced a significant change in the leadership of the Super Eagles. Due to unforeseen complications arising from German tax regulations, the planned appointment of Coach Bruno Labbadia as Head Coach has been halted. Instead, Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen will step up to lead the team for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches.
The situation with Labbadia's appointment became problematic due to stringent tax laws enforced by German authorities. The NFF had reached an agreement in principle with Labbadia, only to discover that German tax regulations would require the federation to cover an additional 32% to 40% of Labbadia's salary in taxes. This unexpected financial burden was beyond the NFF’s budgetary constraints.
Ibrahim Musa Gusau, President of the NFF, explained the dilemma: “We have been on the tax issue for the past three days. I informed Labbadia that the NFF could not agree to offset the additional tax percentage required by German tax authorities. We simply cannot bear the extra financial load on top of the agreed monthly wage.”
The agreement with Labbadia, which had been publicly announced, did not include provisions for these tax-related complications. According to Gusau, “The tax details were never part of our discussions. Labbadia had agreed to all terms before the tax issue emerged. Despite our efforts to be flexible, he insisted that the NFF pay the full tax amount, which was untenable for us.”
Given these developments, Eguavoen will assume the role of Head Coach for the Super Eagles. This will mark Eguavoen’s fourth tenure with the team. His previous stints were from 2005-2007, 2010, and most recently in 2022. Eguavoen is set to lead the Super Eagles in their crucial AFCON qualifying matches against Benin Republic on September 7, 2024, in Uyo, and against Rwanda on September 10, 2024, in Kigali.
This change in leadership, while unexpected, is aimed at ensuring continuity and stability as the Super Eagles prepare for the upcoming qualifiers. The NFF remains committed to achieving success in the AFCON and looks forward to Eguavoen's guidance in these pivotal games.
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