The Nigeria Football Federation has provided an explanation for the sudden reversal of Bruno Labbadia’s decision to take up the role of head coach for the Super Eagles.
In a statement shared on X by the NFF, it was revealed that both the federation and the German coach mutually decided to back out of the agreement due to unresolved issues, primarily related to tax payments.
Bruno Labbadia, whose appointment as Nigeria’s new head coach was widely publicized, will no longer be at the helm of the Super Eagles.
Initially, the NFF announced Labbadia as the new head coach on Tuesday, with a provisional agreement in place.
However, the deal began to unravel over disagreements concerning the payment terms, particularly taxes.
The 58-year-old Labbadia was anticipated to lead the Super Eagles in their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda next month.
However, the NFF disclosed that the deal fell apart when Labbadia insisted on the payment of his taxes in both Nigeria and Germany, a demand the federation found untenable.
The NFF expressed disappointment over the timing of Labbadia’s withdrawal, especially with just a week remaining before the crucial matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
The NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, pointed out that the tax issue was a significant sticking point.
Gusau explained that the NFF could not agree to cover the additional tax costs that would be required by German tax authorities, which could amount to between 32% to 40% of Labbadia’s salary.
Gusau stated, “We have been on the tax issue for the past three days, and I told him clearly that there was no way the NFF will agree to offset the concomitant tax percentage on his salary that will be demanded by German tax authorities. It is not possible for us to shoulder the responsibility of shelling out another money, between 32% to 40% of his salary, after paying the agreed monthly wage.”
He further explained that while there was an agreement in principle, the tax details were never initially part of the discussion.
Gusau added, “The NFF and Mr. Labbadia reached an agreement in principle before we made the announcement that he would become the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The tax details were never part of our discussions, and he had personally agreed to all terms before the tax issue came up. We were doing our best to be flexible in the discussions but he was adamant that the NFF had to pay the full tax amount as well. We simply cannot do that.”
As a result of the collapsed deal, the NFF has appointed Augustine Eguavoen, the federation’s Technical Director, to lead the Super Eagles in the upcoming matches.
Eguavoen, who has previously managed the team in 2005-2007, 2010, and 2022, will now step in for his fourth stint with the three-time African champions.
The Super Eagles are set to host Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on September 9 before traveling to Kigali to face Rwanda three days later.
Labbadia, known for his managerial stints with Bundesliga teams such as Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart, was met with skepticism by Nigerian football fans upon the initial announcement of his appointment.
Concerns were raised about his lack of significant managerial success and his inexperience at the national team level.
With the deal now off the table, there is no indication that talks with Labbadia will be revived, and the NFF is likely to begin searching for alternative candidates to fill the coaching role.
(PUNCH metro)
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