“Eric Chelle is not the right person” – Ex-Nigeria defender slams NFF over Malian’s appointment

By Wale Mustapha

Former Nigerian defender, Sam Elijah, has criticized the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for their decision to appoint Eric Chelle as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.

On Tuesday, the NFF officially endorsed the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee to appoint the Malian coach as the Super Eagles’ new head tactician.

Chelle is expected to arrive in Nigeria on Sunday to sign his contract, after which he will lead the Super Eagles in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March 2025.

Chelle’s appointment has sparked mixed reactions across the country, with the NFF expressing optimism about his credentials and potential.

However, Elijah is one of many who believe that Chelle’s appointment is a poor decision and a slap in the face to Nigerian coaches, urging the NFF to reconsider their choice.

“I don’t think this is the right appointment. We have a local coach, Austin Eguavoen, who has done well in our past matches. He came in and redeemed the team,” Elijah told allnigeriasoccer.com.

“Now, they have been canvassing for a foreign coach all this while. I don’t know what the NFF is looking for. For me, bringing Eric Chelle to take over the national team is a slap on our football.”

Elijah went further to state that Chelle is not the right fit for the national team, suggesting that the NFF should have stuck with local coaches.

“Eric Chelle is not the right appointment, he is not the right person for us. We should stick to our local coaches. Austin Eguavoen has the pedigree, he has what it takes. The boys trust him, and they have confidence in him. When he came in, the boys were ready to play for him, and they were doing well,” Elijah added.

The former Super Eagles defender also raised concerns over the timing of the appointment, given that the World Cup qualifiers are fast approaching.

He emphasized that a new coach would need time to establish his methods and build rapport with the team—something that might be difficult with such a short time frame before critical matches.

With the clock ticking toward the qualifiers, Elijah believes that sticking with a coach who has earned the players’ trust, like Eguavoen, would have been the wiser decision.