The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that its negotiations with Bruno Labbadia, who was set to take on the role of Super Eagles Head Coach, have collapsed.
Earlier this week, the NFF announced that an agreement had been reached with the German coach. However, a recent statement from Ademola Olajire, the NFF’s Director of Communications, revealed that unforeseen issues with German tax regulations ultimately led to the deal’s failure.
According to NFF President Musa Gusau, the primary obstacle was the high tax demands from German authorities, which the NFF could not accommodate.
“We’ve been trying to navigate the tax situation for the past three days,” Gusau explained. “I made it clear that the NFF could not agree to cover the additional tax burden on his salary, which could range between 32 to 40 percent. After already agreeing on his monthly wage, it was impossible for us to take on this extra financial responsibility.”
Gusau noted that the tax implications were not initially discussed, as both parties had reached an agreement on other terms. “Labbadia had accepted all conditions before the tax matter arose. We did our best to be flexible, but he insisted that the NFF pay the full tax amount, which we simply couldn’t do,” he added.
In light of this development, the NFF has appointed Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen as the interim coach. Eguavoen will lead the Super Eagles in their upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic in Uyo on September 7 and Rwanda in Kigali on September 10.
This marks Eguavoen’s fourth stint as head coach of the Super Eagles, following previous terms from 2005 to 2007, 2010, and 2022.
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