NFF APPOINT CHELLE AS SUPER EAGLES BOSS

Written by: Kamogelo Mogale

The Nigerian Football Federation have announced Eric Chelle as their new head coach for the men’s national team. The Super Eagles have been without a stable coach since then Jose coach Jose Peseiro vacate the hot seat after losing out to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, opting for his contract not to be renewed.

The NFF moved swiftly and appointed former Al Ahly coach Finidi George to take over the reigns. However, George’s coaching tenure was short lived as he failed to secure victories against Benin and South Africa in the last term of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with Nigeria placed 5th in group C of Africa World Cup qualifiers on three points, registering three draws and suffering one defeat and are still yet to win a game.

Augustine Eguavoen was then appointed for his fourth stint and successfully qualified the three time Africa Cup of Nations winners to the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. It seems though, that Eguavoen has returned to his role as technical director.

Chelle, who took charge of Mali and lost out to Cote d’Ivoire in the quarterfinal of AFCON, takes over the Super Eagles’ bench on a permanent basis. This is according to an official statement released by the Nigerian Football governing body, as the Malian becomes the first African, who is not Nigerian, to take over the helm as head coach.

At this stage, it is unclear how long his contract with the national team is, but the NFF has released a statement mandating the former Malian boss to secure the Super Eagles qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.