Stringent German tax regulations have compelled the Nigeria Football Federation to cancel its agreement with German coach Bruno Labbadia for him to become the head coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men’s Team, the Super Eagles.
“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.
“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,” President of NFF, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, said on Friday evening.
Read Also: BREAKING: Latest Update On Victor Osimhen After Move To Chelsea Collapsed
This marks the third instance of foreign coaches failing to take charge of the three-time African champions after being announced by Nigeria’s football governing body.
In 2016, French coach Paul Le Guen claimed he was not contacted and had not reached any agreement with the NFF before being announced as the Super Eagles’ head coach.
Similarly, in 1995, Brazilian Carlos Alberto Torres was named head coach of the Super Eagles but never started the role.