The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has called off its agreement with German coach Bruno Labbadia, who was recently announced as the new head coach of the Super Eagles. The deal was aborted due to complications arising from stringent German tax regulations, which would have imposed an additional financial burden on the NFF.
NFF President Musa Gusau revealed that the agreement fell through after three days of negotiations regarding the tax obligations. Gusau stated that Labbadia insisted the NFF should cover the entire tax amount, which could range between 32% to 40% of his salary—a condition the NFF found unacceptable.
"We simply cannot shoulder the responsibility of paying the additional tax on top of his agreed salary," Gusau explained.
With the deal off the table, the NFF has appointed Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen to take charge of the Super Eagles. Eguavoen will lead the team in the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic in Uyo on September 7 and Rwanda in Kigali on September 10.
This will be Eguavoen's fourth stint as head coach of the Super Eagles, having previously led the team from 2005 to 2007, in 2010, and again in 2022.
