Ifeanyi Udeze berates NFF’s appointment of Eric Chelle as Super Eagles coach

By Wale Mustapha

Retired Nigerian defender Ifeanyi Udeze has criticized the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for their decision to appoint Eric Chelle as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles.

The NFF announced Chelle’s appointment on Tuesday, appointing him as the substantive coach to replace Augustine Eguavoen, who had served as interim manager after the NFF parted ways with George Finidi last year.

Udeze, who represented Nigeria at international tournaments including the 2002 FIFA World Cup, believes Eguavoen should have been retained due to his superior credentials.

He questioned Chelle’s suitability for the role, especially given his recent sacking as Mali’s head coach after a poor run in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

“A coach Mali sacked for a poor run in the World Cup qualifiers, does he deserve this job?” Udeze asked. “The most annoying thing is that Augustine Eguavoen, who was our interim coach, has a better CV than this Eric Chelle. On what grounds was Chelle employed?”

Udeze further criticized Chelle’s motivations, suggesting that the Malian coach only took the job to enhance his personal career.

“He took the job to enhance his CV. He doesn’t care whether we qualify for the World Cup or not. That’s the only reason he accepted the job,” Udeze added in a radio interview.

Chelle, 47, is set to lead Nigeria for the remaining fixtures of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

However, Udeze’s comments reflect growing concerns among some Nigerian football stakeholders about the timing and reasoning behind Chelle’s appointment.