How unpopular choice Eric Chelle can succeed with the Super Eagles 

Chelle was recently appointed head coach of Nigeria's men’s national team, with the sole objective of leading them to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

The wait is over, the Super Eagles of Nigeria finally have a permanent coach. After months of waiting, we now know that Eric Chelle, the Ivorian-born Malian, is the one tasked with the responsibility of leading the three-time African champions this year. 

Incompetent NFF board settles for Chelle

Chelle’s appointment comes after Nigerian football lovers waited months for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to name a permanent successor for Finidi George. 

George, who had replaced Jose Peseiro after the AFCON last year, lasted just four games in the role before he was sacked. Since his sacking, the NFF delayed appointing a permanent replacement, with Austin Eguavoen taking charge on an interim basis for the AFCON qualifiers. 

But after months of waiting, the NFF finally decided to appoint Chelle, two months before the Super Eagles resume their World Cup qualifying campaign in March. 

They say “Good things come to those who wait”, but that is not how Super Eagles fans felt when the NFF announced Chelle. And to be fair, it is hard to blame the fans for not being excited, considering how the NFF botched the whole search for a permanent replacement. 

Before his appointment this month, the NFF was reportedly set to appoint the Malian weeks after they sacked George but instead went for Bruno Labbadia following fans’ backlash. 

However, despite announcing Labbadia, the German did not accept the job, stating the body did not meet his demands. This put the NFF in an embarrassing situation, forcing the organisation to continue its search before finally deciding on Chelle this month.

Just like in June last year when it was first reported, the reaction to Chelle’s appointment has been mostly negative among Nigerians. It is not hard to see why there is not too much optimism, to be honest. 

Many Nigerians feel that the NFF could do better than a Malian born in Abidjan. Also, there are arguments that the NFF could have just gone for a local coach if they were going to go for an African coach. 

Yes, it may be strange but Nigerians can be condescending towards other Africans, so the image of an African managing the Super Eagles is not something Nigerians find appealing irrespective of the qualification of the manager. 

The average Nigerian will rather choose a white European with limited qualifications to lead the Super Eagles ahead of an African with all the qualifications in the world- it is what it is. 

Also, Chelle’s record as a coach does not help his cause. Although the Eagles of Mali were an exciting side to watch under him at the last AFCON, his record outside of Mali is not convincing enough. 

Before his appointment as Nigeria’s coach, he was MC Oran’s coach, averaging 1.54 points per game across 13 matches. His stint at US Boulogne is probably one of the worst in the club’s history, losing ten out of the 17 matches he managed. 

With all these in mind and his nationality, it is easy to see why he is not a popular choice amongst Nigerians. 

Chelle working in a pressure cooker but can succeed as Super Eagles boss

However, the good news for Chelle is that he can use this as fuel in his quest to succeed as Nigeria’s coach. But to succeed in this role, he has to be different by not deferring to anyone, particularly Eguavoen, and doing things his way. 

The former Oran manager has to stick to his principles and ideas even if Eguavoen tries to offer a helping hand. While this may be difficult to do considering Eguavoen is technically his boss, Chelle just has to find a way to reduce Eguavoen’s influence on the team. 

Yes, he can take advice from the ex-Super Eagles star because he knows the players well, Chelle still needs to go and watch some of these players before making his decisions. 

The Malian tactician cannot keep calling up the same set of players Eguavoen used during his ill-fated tenure as Super Eagles boss between Jan 2022-Mar 2022 and recently the AFCON qualifiers. 

Although the timing may be too short because the World Cup qualifiers resume in March, Chelle can still use the next few weeks to check out potential players he would like to call up for the doubleheader. 

Given a majority of the players that will be called up are familiar names, the ex-Martigues coach can use the next two months to scout for players who can help his cause, especially players who are doing well at their clubs but have not been given a chance. 

Also, he should not bow to pressure from journalists and NPFL advocates, whose sole mission is to have local players representation in the Super Eagles squad. 

This is not to say the Malian should not invite players from the domestic league, but he has to be convinced that the player deserves it.

Given Nigeria are currently four points off the top in their World Cup qualifying group, Chelle cannot afford to offer charitable call-ups to players just to please certain sections of the media and individuals. 

The bar is already low for the Malian, with many expecting him to fail in his quest to lead Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup. For this reason alone, he might as well go out swinging by sticking to his ideas and principles. 

If it works out and he manages to perform a miracle by leading Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup, he will be seen as a genius. And if it does not, he will only be fulfilling the expectations of his doubters but knowing he did not bow to their demands.