Ex-Internationals slam NFF over Chelle’s appointment, says Super Eagles' gaffer

Posted : 10 January 2025

Some ex-internationals have expressed concern over the Nigeria Football Federation's (NFF) decision to appoint former Mali coach Éric Chelle as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles.

The appointment of the 47-year-old Malian was announced on Tuesday.

The ex-internationals, in separate interviews, opined that the new coach does not possess the qualities necessary to lead the Super Eagles.

Kadiri Ikhana, an ex-international and former Super Falcons coach, said that he was disappointed by the choice of the new gaffer.

He decried the fact that the NFF has not given homegrown coaches the chance to showcase their abilities on the big stage.

According to him, Chelle does not have better records than Nigerian indigenous coaches, thereby questioning why such an appointment was made.

“I think it is a terrible decision because Éric Chelle is not better than our local coaches, and if we don’t give our local coaches the chance to grow, how will they develop?"

“There are many homegrown coaches who have proven themselves in the league and, most importantly, in international assignments, but strangely, they are ignored by the NFF.

“They need this type of opportunity to gather enough experience and prove themselves at the international level. Sincerely, I am not happy about this,” Ikhana, who guided Enyimba to lift the African Champions League in 2003, said.

Similarly, Harrison Jalla, an ex-international and Chairman of the Professionals Football Association of Nigeria Task Force, said the decision left much to be desired.

He noted that Chelle did not achieve much as Mali’s coach, where he failed at the last Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and also in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.

“Sincerely, I don’t know the basis of this appointment. This is a coach who was sacked by the Malian Football Federation for poor performance.

“Out of five games, he won only one in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In fact, he lost at home and put Mali in an impossible position.

“If we want to hire a coach, we should hire someone superior to our home-based coaches. In fact, I am disappointed in the NFF. Only they can explain to us what they saw in Chelle,” Jalla said.

Chelle, who earned five caps for the Aiglons of Mali and coached clubs such as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne, and MC Oran, has been the Head Coach of the Aiglons since 2022.

He played for clubs such as Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais in France during his playing career.

Ex-Internationals slam NFF over Chelle’s appointment, says Super Eagles' gaffer

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