- – Fisayo Ajibola
- The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed Mali coach Éric Chelle as the new head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team, becoming the third person to take charge of the Super Eagles since the resignation of José Peseiro in March 2024.
Chelle’s appointment was confirmed by the NFF on Tuesday, hours after President Ibrahim Gusau mentioned in a video that the appointment would be made soon.
According to NFF president Gusau, Chelle’s work will begin immediately with the home-based Super Eagles at the 2024 African Nations Championship in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, where Nigeria will compete with 17 other countries from February 1-28.
The Super Eagles B are currently in camp at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne under the guidance of Remo Stars Coach Daniel Ogunmodede, Rangers International’s Fidelis Ilechukwu, and goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa, who led the team through the qualifiers against Ghana.
Chelle, who earned five caps for Mali’s national team, has also coached clubs such as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne, and MC Oran. He has been the head coach of the Aiglons since 2022.
At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals, Chelle’s Mali came very close to a semi-final spot, losing to hosts and eventual winners Ivory Coast 2-1 after extra time, having led by a single goal until the final minute of regulation time.
Another challenge awaiting him will be guiding the Eagles to secure a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, with the team currently sitting in fifth place in their qualifying group ahead of the next round of matches in March.