By Monsurah Olatunji
Former Nigerian international Mutiu Adepoju has called on both players and fans to support newly appointed Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) recently announced Chelle as the official coach of the national team, and the 47-year-old is expected to arrive in Abuja on Sunday to finalize his contract.
Chelle’s first major challenge will be to revive Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Super Eagles, three-time African champions, have not featured in the World Cup since 2018 and are currently winless in Group C, having gathered just three points from their opening four matches.
With the remaining matches critical for any hopes of qualification, Chelle’s immediate task is to ensure the Super Eagles win all their upcoming games.
Adepoju, while acknowledging the NFF’s decision, urged both players and Nigerians to rally behind Chelle to give him the best chance of success.
“I think the best thing we can do at the moment is for the Super Eagles to support the new coach, Eric Chelle, and hope all works out well,” Adepoju said in an interview on Brila.
“Nevertheless, I think the NFF has taken a decision, thinking that it’s the right decision.”
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.
