Eric Chelle Speaks About His Future As Super Eagles Boss Behind AFCON 2025
- Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has spoken about his future beyond the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
- Chelle was quizzed about this during the press conference ahead of Super Eagles' opening match against Tanzania on Tuesday
- The Franco-Malian manager failed in his first responsibility after Nigeria did not qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has spoken about his future with the Nigerian national team beyond the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria is preparing for their opening match at AFCON 2025 against the Tafia Stars of Tanzania at Complexe Sportif de Fes on Tuesday, December 23.
Source: Instagram
The tournament is a shot at redemption for the Super Eagles of Nigeria after failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a playoff loss to DR Congo.
Eric Chelle’s future beyond AFCON 2025
There were growing calls from Nigerians to fire Chelle immediately after the Super Eagles lost the penalty shootout to DR Congo in the World Cup playoff.
Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup was his major responsibility when the NFF hired him in January 2025, despite Nigeria's poor start to the qualifiers.
As noted by ESPN, there is an expectation that the Super Eagles’ first non-Nigerian African coach would be relieved of his duties if he fails to deliver the AFCON trophy.
Chelle, speaking during the press conference ahead of Nigeria versus Tanzania, refused to be drawn into the discussions around his future, but instead is focused on the tournament.
“I am only focused on this tournament, I will have a meeting with my football association about everything but my focus at the moment is about the tournament and my players,” he said, as quoted by Soccernet.
The manager also dismissed the effects of missing out on the World Cup, claiming it is behind the team and the focus has shifted to the tournament ahead.
“We are our first opponent, we need to focus on ourselves and take out outside noise, Of course, the World Cup miss is painful,” he added.
Source: Twitter
“Our first game is a big game, and the first game is very important. For sure we want to win this game. This is not the moment to talk about the World Cup qualifiers. For now, the most important thing is this tournament.”
Chelle has notable absentees in the squad due to injury, particularly defenders Ola Aina and Benjamin Fredrick, but he remains confident in the current group.
Captain William Troost-Ekong, who announced his retirement from international football days before the tournament, also leaves a defensive and leadership gap in the team, but the manager remains focused on the huge task ahead.
Predicted Super Eagles lineup
Legit.ng reported the predicted Super Eagles' lineup for the opening match of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations against the Tafia Stars of Tanzania.
The Franco-Malian coach, despite having young and exciting new players, is expected to stick to his trusted players at least for the opening match.
Source: Legit.ng
