By Wale Mustapha
Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has taken full responsibility for the Super Eagles B team’s humiliating 4–0 defeat to Sudan in their second group match at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Zanzibar.
The result confirmed Nigeria’s early exit from the tournament, having also lost their opening match 1–0 to Senegal. Two goals in each half saw Sudan dominate a disjointed and error-prone Nigerian side, whose defensive lapses proved costly.
Speaking to ACLSports during the post-match press conference, Chelle admitted that his tactical setup failed and directly contributed to the team’s downfall.
“The game started, and after 20 minutes, we committed a lot of mistakes. Four goals, four mistakes — for me, it’s simply our fault,” the former Mali national team boss said.
Chelle expressed disappointment that the team’s training performances did not translate onto the pitch, suggesting a disconnect between preparation and execution.
“This wasn’t the best game of the players’ lives. During the training sessions, we were good,” he explained.
“But the reality is that we didn’t prepare for the mistakes. Watch the goals again — it’s difficult.”
The Super Eagles will now play their final Group D match against Congo, a dead rubber fixture following their elimination. The result marks one of Nigeria’s worst outings in CHAN history, raising serious questions about the team’s direction and preparation.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
