Segun Odegbami: Nigeria Legend Explains Why Super Eagles Cannot Win AFCON 2025 Under Eric Chelle
- Super Eagles legend Segun Odegbami has written off Nigeria’s chances ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
- The 73-year-old believes head coach Eric Chelle lacks the capacity to lead the Super Eagles to a fourth AFCON title
- Chelle guided Nigeria to victory in the 2025 Unity Cup, defeating Jamaica 5-4 on penalties
Segun Odegbami has downplayed Eric Chelle’s ability to lead Nigeria to victory at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
Chelle was appointed head coach of the Super Eagles following a disastrous start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where Nigeria struggled in their opening four matches.
The Franco-Malian coach later oversaw a turnaround, recording four wins and two draws to finish second behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and secure a playoff route to the Mundial.
Source: Getty Images
However, the 48-year-old’s hopes ended in disappointment after the Super Eagles lost 4-3 on penalties to DR Congo’s Leopards in the playoff final, per CAF.
Eric Chelle had earlier won the 2025 Unity Cup after beating Ghana in the semifinal (2-1) and Jamaica in the final (5-4 via penalties), per Ghana Web.
Odegbami reacts ahead of AFCON
Shooting Stars legend Segun Odegbami revealed that he stopped watching Nigeria matches after they failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to Punch, the 73-year-old said the Super Eagles are not good enough to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The 1980 AFCON winner explained that a lot of football fans lost interest in the current squad despite parading some of the best players in the world.
Odegbami said a lot of business owners lost millions of investments after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the intercontinental playoffs next year. The Nigerian legend said:
“I have not been following the Super Eagles preparation for AFCON, since our exit from the World Cup qualifiers, where we finished in second place.
"The reality is that some of us gave up because football is our business and qualifying for the World Cup is the peak of our business."
Source: Getty Images
Odegbami, who is currently Nigeria's third all-time top scorer, stressed that the current team does not merit qualification for the World Cup, citing a lack of effort and quality in their campaign. He said:
"If I want to be honest with you, I don't think Nigeria deserves a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, because we didn’t work hard enough.
"The team were not just good enough, so I’m not following what’s happening before the AFCON, I’m not going for the AFCON and that’s the reality.”
Oliseh backs Chelle despite World Cup failure
Legit.ng earlier reported that Super Eagles legend Sunday Oliseh has clamoured for Eric Chelle to continue as the head coach of the Nigerian national team despite not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The former captain defended the manager, claiming he did not lose it in the play-off final, but the problems of Nigerian football overwhelmed him.
Source: Legit.ng
