In an interview with OwngoalNigeria.com, he said: “At that moment, I felt it was a big disrespect from my own part, and I won’t sit down there watching what is happening, what they decided and what they didn’t decide. So I had to quit.“We had a meeting with the minister, and I was expecting in that meeting they would have told me, ‘Coach, we support you despite the results. We have to look for a way forward for better results.’ That would have eased my thinking. But when I didn’t hear that and learned a day before my meeting that they had already held discussions about looking for a new coach, I realised I was not needed.”
Finidi concluded, “Too many things were going on behind my back, and in front of me, nobody came to say, We support you. I just felt I wasn’t given the fullest support, and I won’t be in a place where I’m not wanted. I’m not hungry, so I had to leave.”
There are indications from different quarters demanding that Eguavoen, who is currently at the helm, be made the permanent coach for the Super Eagles.
He was appointed as an emergency replacement to the collapsed deal with German Bruno Labbadia who was expected to replace Finidi.
“In the event, Technical Director of Nigeria Football Federation, Coach Augustine Eguavoen, will now take charge of the Super Eagles for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic (Uyo, September 7) and Rwanda (Kigali, September 10),” the statement announcing his appointment read.