Eric Chelle Discloses His First Surprise After Becoming Super Eagles Head Coach
- Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has revealed his first surprise after taking over the role in January 2025
- The Nigeria Football Federation appointed Chelle as the first non-Nigerian African Super Eagles coach
- The Franco-Malian was given the responsibility of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is on track
Eric Chelle has opened up about his first surprise after the Nigeria Football Federation appointed him as the Super Eagles head coach in January 2025.
The Super Eagles had been without a permanent manager since Finidi George resigned from the position in June 2024, following a 2-1 loss to Benin.
Source: Getty Images
NFF technical director Augustine Eguavoen coached the team during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September, October, and November 2024.
As confirmed by the NFF, his responsibility upon appointment was to guide the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a poor start in the qualifiers.
His first matches came during the qualifiers. Nigeria defeated Rwanda 2-0 in Kigali, before a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in Uyo, thanks to a late equaliser.
Nigeria narrowly missed out on getting an automatic ticket from Group C, but has a chance in the playoffs and will face Gabon on November 13 in Morocco.
Chelle reveals his first surprise in Nigeria
Chelle received a poor reception when he was announced as the new Super Eagles boss, the first non-Nigerian African appointed to the position.
The former Mali national team head coach has opened up about his first surprise when he joined the “Naija family” as Super Eagles head coach.
“First, the sheer scale! It’s a very passionate country that loves football and knows the game well,” he told CAF Online. There are 230 million Nigerians, which means 230 million coaches, journalists and decision-makers!”
He added that the high expectations, intense pressure and volatile fans’ reaction are the other risky parts of the job, but he learnt to deal with them by focusing on his job.
“Expectations are high and the pressure is intense. The fans are very emotional and react quickly, which can be great, but also risky. I had to adapt fast, create a bubble around myself to stay focused on my objectives,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
“I’ve been off social media for a while, so I avoid the noise and concentrate on work with my technical staff. We’re moving step by step. We haven’t achieved anything yet; we’ve climbed one step and are working on the next.”
Chelle is undefeated in nine matches in charge of the senior national team, though he had a dismal outing with the home-based Eagles at the African Nations Championship, losing two matches and winning one match.
Augustine Eguavoen applauds Chelle
Legit.ng reported that Augustine Eguavoen applauds Chelle's job so far and admitted that he is impressed with the stage the Super Eagles are at.
The former Super Eagles boss called on Nigerians to support the manager and not create distractions at a crucial stage ahead of the playoff and AFCON.
Source: Legit.ng
