In a surprising twist, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has pulled the plug on appointing Bruno Labbadia as the new manager of the Super Eagles. Just days after announcing that they had reached an agreement with the German coach, the NFF revealed that the deal fell through due to an unexpected snag—taxes.
According to the NFF, Labbadia demanded that the federation cover nearly 40% of his salary in taxes to the German government. This hefty requirement proved to be a dealbreaker, with the NFF deeming it impossible to accommodate.
In a statement released on Friday night, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau explained the situation:
“We’ve been discussing the tax issue for the past three days, and I made it clear to Labbadia that there was no way the NFF could cover the additional tax costs, which range from 32% to 40% of his salary. After agreeing on his monthly wage, we simply cannot afford to shoulder the responsibility of paying another substantial amount.”
Gusau also clarified that while the NFF and Labbadia had reached an agreement in principle, the tax matter was not part of their initial discussions. It only emerged after the coach had agreed to all other terms. Despite the federation’s efforts to be flexible, Labbadia remained firm that the NFF should bear the full tax burden, leading to the collapse of the deal.
As a result, the NFF has turned to a familiar face—Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen. Eguavoen, who has previously managed the Super Eagles on three occasions, will now lead the team in the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic on 7th September in Uyo and Rwanda on 10th September in Kigali.
This marks Eguavoen’s fourth stint at the helm of the three-time African champions, as the NFF regroups and looks to the future.
