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NEW SUPER EAGLES COACH WAS SACKED BY STUGURT IN 2023, HAS NO NATIONAL TEAM COACHING EXPERIENCE
There are growing concerns in the Nigerian football community over the appointment of Bruno Labbadia as the new Super Eagles coach, given his controversial past and lack of national team coaching experience.
SaharaReporters had reported the appointment of the German tactician on Tuesday morning ahead of the Super Eagles’ two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic on Saturday, September 7th in Uyo and Rwanda on Tuesday, September 10th in Kigali.
He becomes the 37th Head Coach of the Super Eagles after Finidi George resigned from his position just four games into his tenure.
Findings by SaharaReporters about the managerial stats and experience of the newly appointed coach showed that his appointment fell short of what the Nigerian Football Federation promised the over 200 million citizens after they allowed Jose Peseiro to leave in March.
The coach is renowned as a “Sack Specialist” because his records showed that he has been dismissed from several managerial positions throughout his career.
The most recent was in 2023 when he was sacked after he almost relegated VfB Stuttgart.
The same squad went on to qualify for the Champion League barely one year after the new Super Eagles coach was replaced by Sebastian Hoeneß
SaharaReporters has analysed Bruno Labbadia’s coaching career, revealing a mixed record:
Total games managed: 487, Wins: 214 (43% win rate), Draws: 103 (21% draw rate) and Losses: 170 (34% lose rate).
This means that for every 10 games he played: he won 4.3 games, lost 3.4 games and drew 2.1 games.
Labbadia’s coaching record raises questions about his ability to lead the Super Eagles to victory because his record shows he has won fewer matches (in percentage) than José Peseiro who NFF refused to allow to stay despite leading the country to silver in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Jose Peseiro coached 651 with 317 wins, 153 draws, and 181 losses. His stats show a 48.69 win rate: 5% better than that Bruno Labbadia NFF used to replace him.
Despite managing 487 games at the club level, Labbadia has never coached a national team, leaving many to wonder if he has the expertise to lead Nigeria to success on the international stage.
National team coaching requires a unique set of skills, including Managing a diverse group of players from different clubs and countries, adapting to different playing styles and opponents and handling high-pressure international matches
Labbadia’s inexperience in these areas has raised concerns among Nigerian football fans and pundits, who fear he may struggle to make the transition from club to national team coaching.
