Bruno Labbadia, the 58-year-old German football coach, has unexpectedly declined the opportunity to become Nigeria’s new national team manager, according to a report from the German sports magazine Kicker.
This development comes after a week of negotiations that initially seemed promising but ultimately fell through due to unresolved organizational issues.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had announced Labbadia’s appointment early on Tuesday in a statement sent to Bold Sports.
“The Nigeria Football Federation has announced that it has reached an agreement with German tactician, Bruno Labbadia, to become the Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men National Team, Super Eagles,” part of the statement read.
The appointment, however, met mixed reactions across the country, with many questioning how the NFF arrived at the decision to hire the German and the details of the contract.
Sources close to the negotiations informed Kicker that while financial terms had been largely agreed upon by Monday, several organizational issues remained unresolved. The publication suggests that the NFF’s premature public announcement may have been a significant factor in Labbadia’s decision to withdraw from consideration on Friday.
Labbadia was initially attracted to the challenging task of leading Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup. The team is currently sitting fifth in their qualification group with only three points from four games, highlighting the difficulty of the task ahead.
The German coach’s appointment would have continued a tradition of German managers leading the Super Eagles, following Gernot Rohr, Uli Stielike, Otto Pfister, Winfried Schäfer, and former German national coach Berti Vogts.
According to Kicker’s report, Labbadia had stepped back from football after leaving VfB Stuttgart in the spring of 2023, deliberately seeking distance from the sport. However, the Nigeria offer seemed particularly appealing from a sporting perspective, making his ultimate decision to decline all the more surprising.
The publication also mentions that talks about Labbadia’s potential commitment began last weekend and were initially very productive. However, despite the NFF’s claims, Labbadia never signed a contract or gave a firm commitment.
Kicker’s sources indicate that while Labbadia was drawn to the challenging nature of the role, the collaboration ultimately failed due to organizational issues that could not be resolved in the short time available. However, the report suggests that Labbadia has not given up on his dream of taking over a national team in the future.
The NFF will now need to resume their search for a new head coach to guide the team through their World Cup qualification campaign and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which start next week with matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
The NFF had initially announced a 24-man squad to prosecute both matches, with the return of 2023 AFCON Best Player William Troost-Ekong, Victor Osimhen, Ola Aina, and Taiwo Awoniyi, who missed the last AFCON due to injury.
