Super Eagles Boss Eric Chelle Boycotts FIFA The Best Voting As Ousmane Dembele Wins Global Prize
- Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle did not vote in the FIFA The Best Award despite being eligible to
- Former captain William Troost-Ekong and journalist Oluwashina Okeleji represented Nigeria as voters
- Paris Saint-Germain and France star Ousmane Dembele won the award, adding to the Ballon d'Or award
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle boycotted the voting for the FIFA The Best award, which Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele won.
Dembele continued his remarkable year by claiming the FIFA award, having won the 2025 Ballon d'Or, beating competition from Lamine Yamal.
Source: Getty Images
The France international forward was the leading star of the Paris Saint-Germain squad that won five trophies last season, including their first UEFA Champions League trophy.
Dembele was also named in the Best 11 alongside Yamal, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Pedri, Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi, William Pacho, Virgil van Dijk, Nuno Mendes and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Eric Chelle boycotts FIFA voting
FIFA The Best Award is voted for by the coaches and captains of the 211 nations under FIFA, and accredited journalists and fans registered on the portal.
According to the voting data released by FIFA, Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle was not listed among the national team coaches who voted.
Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong and BBC journalist Oluwashina Okeleji were Nigeria’s representatives in the voting.
Ekong voted for Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi and Lamine Yamal in that order, while Okeleji voted for Dembele, Hakimi and Mohamed Salah.
Ekong and Okeleji both voted for Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick, and Arne Slot for the Coach of the Year, which Chelle once again skipped.
Ekong voted Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manuel Neuer and Alisson Becker for the Goalkeeper of the Year, while Okeleji voted for Donnarumma, David Raya and Thibaut Courtois.
Source: Getty Images
Chelle’s counterpart in charge of the Super Falcons, Justine Madugu, voted in the women's category for Aitana Bonmati, Alessia Russo and Lucy Bronze.
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade voted for Temwa Chawinga, Aitana Bonmati and Melchy Dumornay, while Okeleji voted for Bonmati, Russo and Chawinga.
Madugu, Ajibade and Okeleji all voted for Chiamaka Nnadozie to win the Women's Goalkeeper of the Year, while putting the eventual winner, Hannah Hampton, in second place.
Okeleji voted for Sonia Bompastor, Sarina Wiegmann and Seb Hines; Madugu voted for Bompastor, Wiegmann and Renée Slegers, and Ajibade selected Slegers, Bompastor, and Wiegmann.
As noted by All Nigeria Soccer, there has yet to be an explanation for Chelle’s absence in the voting as he continues to prepare the Super Eagles for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Nigeria's voting responsibility will henceforth fall to Wilfred Ndidi, who is expected to be confirmed as the new Super Eagles captain after Chelle's approval.
How Nigeria voted in the Ballon d'Or
Legit.ng previously reported on how Nigerian journalist Samm Audu voted in the 2025 Ballon d'Or after the votes were published online.
The veteran journalist picked eventual winner Ousmane Dembele as number one, followed by Yamal, Salah, Hakimi and Vitinha in that order.
Source: Legit.ng
