Nigeria have appointed Germany’s Bruno Labbadia as the country’s new coach, making him the third appointment to the post in a tumultuous year in the African nation’s men’s football team.
The former German international’s appointment was announced by the Nigeria Football Federation on social media on Tuesday, saying his appointment was “with immediate effect” but without giving any details of the contract duration.
Labbadia takes charge 12 days before Nigeria kick off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a Group D tie home match to neighbours Benin in Uyo. The team also play away in Rwanda three days later.
The 58-year-old is a seasoned Bundesliga coach with spells at Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin. This will be his first job outside Germany.
As a player, Labbadia was a prolific scorer, notching at least 200 goals in a career that included a spell with Bayern Munich.
He replaces Finidi George, who was in charge for four matches earlier this year.
Labbadia, who won two caps for his country, will spend the rest of the year focusing on qualifying the Super Eagles for the next Cup of Nations finals, which will be hosted in Morocco in late 2025.
