Bruno Labbadia, a German tactician, has explained why his much-awaited appointment as Nigeria's Super Eagles' head coach didn't work out.
The German manager was on the verge of being named as the Super Eagles coach after the resignation of Finidi George.
Two months ago, Labbadia was approached for the new head coach of the Nigerian men's national team by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
However, the deal fell through following some challenges, which led to the appointment of Augustine Eguavoen.
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Labbadia explains situation
Labbadia has offered insights into the breakdown of negotiations in an exclusive interview with Bild.
He claims that the deal fell through because his first need, which was to travel to Nigeria and evaluate the situation before formally accepting the position, could not be met when his hiring was made public too soon.
Labbadia said, “I wanted to go abroad. The basic requirement for me was: I have to go to Nigeria to see everything on site. And that was no longer possible after it was announced.
“It was no longer about the pay. There were various organizational things that were problematic.
“And then things got tighter and tighter, so that I didn’t have two days left for the meeting with the national team. Then I pulled the ripcord because the feeling was getting worse and worse.”
“I was tempted to play in the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup. Above all, to play in a World Cup with a team that would not have to hide from the big teams.”
Meanwhile, Bruno Labbadia, a German football tactician, praised Super Eagles forwards, describing their offensive lineup as "second to none."