The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) unveiled Eric Chelle as the new Super Eagles head coach earlier today, January 13.
The NFF officially declared Eric Chelle the 42nd substantive head coach of the Super Eagles at the media conference room of the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
Recall that Chelle’s appointment follows a recommendation from the NFF’s Technical and Development Committee. The 47-year-old former Mali international is the third coach to lead the Super Eagles since the departure of Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro.
He and his team are expected to prepare the Super Eagles B side for the upcoming African Nations Championship, which will be held in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda next month.
Following the Championship, the coaching staff’s focus will shift to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, starting with games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March.
Since the news of Chelle’s appointment, opinions have varied, especially regarding the decision to hire a coach within Africa over Nigerian candidates.
Aside from that, Chelle’s transition into this position encountered some challenges due to his contractual obligations with his previous club, MC Oran, where he held a two-year contract since October 2024. He parted ways with Mali’s national team in July 2024 after a commendable tenure.
In his final match with MC Oran, Chelle led the team to a 1-0 victory in the Algerian Cup, following which he began discussions with club management about his future, a talk that ended in favour of his new role with the Super Eagles.
