NFF blame 'tax details' as Labbadia deal collapses

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has attributed the failure to appoint Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach of the Super Eagles to "tax details," despite having announced his appointment earlier on Tuesday.

Labbadia, who has previously managed Stuttgart, Wolfsburg, and Bayer Leverkusen, emerged as an unexpected choice after the NFF's attempts to secure either Janne Anderson, the former Sweden coach, or Herve Renard, a two-time Africa Cup of Nations champion, did not succeed.

In a statement released on social media, NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau remarked, "The NFF and Mr. Labbadia had reached a preliminary agreement prior to our announcement regarding his appointment as head coach of the Super Eagles. The tax details were not included in our discussions, and he had personally consented to all terms before the tax matter arose."