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On Tuesday, the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF confirmed the appointment of Éric Sékou Chelle as the new coach of the country’s football team, the Super Eagles.
Chelle’s appointment is effective immediately, according to the NFF announcement.
The NFF said it decided to hire a new coach from abroad at its meeting on January 2, 2025.
The NFF said the main task it assigned to the ex-Mali coach is: take Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup.
What we know about Éric Sékou Chelle
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Unlike other elites in African football, such as George Weah, Abedi Pele, Samuel Eto’o, Rashidi Yekini and others, Eric Chelle is not an elite in African football.
The reason is that when he was a player he was not very famous.
During his playing career, he only played five times for his country’s biggest football club, Mali.
As for the club level, he played mostly in small French clubs, such as Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres and Chamois Niortais.
However, Chelle surprised many people at the coaching level because of the efforts he seems to have made.
Before becoming the coach of Mali’s senior team, he managed some French teams playing in the country’s junior league.
The 47-year-old gained experience in coaching at GS Consolat, FC Martigues, MC Oran and Boulogne.
In 2022, Mali appointed him as the one who will lead the country’s senior team, and he surprised after reaching the country for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast.
In the competition, Mali managed to reach the quarter-finals, before the host of the guests kicked them out in extra time.
After the competition, the country expelled him in June 2024.
‘Holding a Super Eagle is no small task’
The job of coaching Nigeria is a big job that requires the skills and courage of a coach, considering how the country has outstanding players who play in some of the top European teams.
But despite the talented athletes that the country has, it is struggling to achieve the success it needs in its sports, especially in Africa.
People relate the lack of success of the Super Eagle to the lack of a professional coach, who can bring together the best players in the country to form a strong team.
Many coaches – inside and outside the country – have come and gone, but the biggest question on the minds of the people is whether Eric Chelle can take the Super Eagles out of the fire?
Original image, BBC Sport
In the announcement of his appointment, the NFF entrusted him with the responsibility of leading Nigeria to the World Cup.
Currently, the country is in fifth place on the 2026 World Cup qualification table with three points, after losing to Benin and Lesotho.
The first matches that Chelle will face in the quest for a place in the 2026 World Cup will be in March where she will play two matches.
Now the focus is on the new coach to see what role he will play in reviving the Super Eagles.
