Hire A Sound Coach For The National Team, Super Eagles

“So, any insinuation that Nigerians are playing up racism is their own imagination, because it’s quite obvious that they are deeply passionate about the Super Eagles their darling team right from the qualifying stages to championship proper and no-one can take it away from them”.

BY JOHN FWA

A Malian, Eric Sekou Chelle, 47, has been appointed the new coach of the Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles.

The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) endorsed the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee for the appointment of Eric Sekou Chelle, a Malian national, and a neighbouring African country, as Super Eagles coach. The newly acquired Super Eagles Coach, Eric Chelle will receive Fifty-five thousand dollars ($55,000 equivalent of N84,984,900.00) as monthly salary.

Records show that the Malian was the former coach of his country’s national team and had ONLY FIVE (emphasis mine), caps for the Aiglons of Mali, while he coached clubs such as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne and MC Oran, and has been Head Coach of the Aiglons since 2022.

Even in his pro-career days he had featured ONLY within France for little known clubs such as Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres and Chamois.

At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cote d’Ivoire, Chelle could not take Mali up to semi-finals as he met his superior in the hands of Cote d’Ivoire.

From the above practicals of playing and coaching, Chelle, the Malian is not the appropriate person to handle the Super Eagles, an elite, topflight, highly technical national team of great international repute. There’s no gainsaying the fact that coaches Keshi, Amodu, Udemezue, Hamilton, among others of blessed memory, must be turning in their graves as to how Nigeria’s national football team has gone down so low that an unknown quantity and quality, a paper tiger, was hired to coach the national team.

It’s a matter of proof that the Malian must be highly and extremely happy as well as excited, that he has been elevated by the appointment as coach of much reputable international national team, the Super Eagles, therefore added, not just feather but glowing feather to his cap.

There’s no doubt that Mr Chelle must carry his head and shoulders high because of the great achievement and the opportunity to add Super Eagles of Nigeria to his credentials as one of the national (victims) teams he handled.

Already, Chelle has boasted how he would take this great country’s football to next level. Imagine, the Malian is talking of taking the Super Eagles to the next level, whereas the Super Eagles had been coached by world class and reputable coaches, like Clemence Westerhof, Gernot Rohr and recently Peseiro, to successful Nations and World Cup competitions. Records of Super Eagles at these continental and international competitions are obvious for all to savour their successes. Could it be that Chelle is not aware of exploits of the Super Eagles? Or could it be that he is not aware of several Nigerians star players plying their trade world over. These youthful football stars are making waves in topflight football clubs in Europe and other places even as they are nominated for individual and team awards.

Technical and Development Sub-Committee of the NFF and its accomplice the Executive Committee of the NFF which endorsed the recommendation of the Malian, Mr Chelle, as the coach of the national team, the Super Eagles, without mincing words, I say, did not do a good job. In fact, they did not meet the aspirations and desires of the teaming lovers of the game and the Super Eagles their darling world acclaimed national team by this action.

Is he among the top 50s on the Africa list? Talk more of top 20s. The so-called extensive research into the coach’s professional credentials as claimed by Amaju Pinnick the former President of the Federation, (who should honourably take his deserved rest), could only result in mediocrity and that’s what they have served Nigerian football lovers. More over, the idea that racism has influenced hard criticism by Nigerians of his appointment as coach does not hold water because his track record is nothing to write home about compared to that of Nigerian players and coaches. The fact is that the federation has unconsciously insulted the psyche of the average Nigerian football lovers. The federation should be reminded that the Super Eagles is the darling of all Nigerians across ethnicity, and religion. The federation should be reminded that the Super Eagles is the only country’s public relations outfit, the only image maker that has proudly kept the green-white-green national flag flying at full mast. The federation must not pull it down with the appointment of a mediocre as coach of the Nigeria’s national team the Super Eagles.

His country’s national team is no where to be compared with the Super Eagles whether in ranking and quality. Or has the NFF forgotten so soon that Nigeria has produced Africa Player of The Year back-to-back. Nigeria deserves some respect and should be accorded appropriate status in dealing with affairs of this nature by employing a football coach that befits its status.

These two committees, the Technical and the Executive, have without doubt lowered the reputation, prestige and respect, both local and international of the admirable and amiable national team, Super Eagles by this singular act. Does it mean that they did not or could not find qualified Nigerian as coach? Or is it a case of the prophet not being recognised in his own country.

NFF had an easy choice in Austin Eguavoen and his technical crew of Fidelis Ilechukwu, Daniel Ogunmodede and Olatunji Baruwa to forge ahead having booked tickets to both AFCON 2025 and CHAN 2025 respectively. They rather chose to gallivant in Europe under the guise of searching for football coach, ignoring capable home-grown, home-made coaches because of their self and innate desire. Was it not same federation who were stalking one Pitso Mosimane? So, what prompted them in hiring Chelle? Is he better than our own Eguavoen and his crew that qualified for AFCON and CHAN? NFF should tell the world what was the yardstick used to pick Chelle. Just take a look at this line up of Nigeria’s football greats: Eguavoen and his crew put together, Daniel Amokachi, Sylvanus Okpala, Finidi George, Mike Emenalo, Seyi Olofinjana, Emmanuel Amunike, Samson Siasia, Sunday Oliseh, Emmanuel Amunike, to name a few.

The NFF was in Europe to contact and/or consult coaches like Steve McClaren, Winfried Schäfer, Tom Sainfiet, Paul Le Guen, Bruno Labbadia, Herve Renard and Antonio Conceição, but surprisingly named Chelle. So, the federation should tell the world why they abandoned the home handlers who qualified the team to the continental championships.

The whooping salary of the Malian and the speed to employ and unveil him, is an indication that a lot of water has passed under the bridge, or else why the rush, in a country where qualified and capable indigenous coaches are available.

But there’s a climax to the blunder in the recruitment of the Malian as better choice to the Nigerian coaches. While the committees were packaging their Malian candidate, a renowned, amiable and capable, result oriented gaffer, Austine Eguaveon, was landing a mouth-watering coaching job with neighbouring West African nation, Ghana, where he will be paid in dollars and other benefits attached to the office. So, any insinuation that Nigerians are playing up racism is their own imagination, because it’s quite obvious that they are deeply passionate about the Super Eagles their darling team right from the qualifying stages to championship proper and no-one can take it away from them. The Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF should wake up and insist on hiring a sound coach for the national football team to avoid running into murky waters when the chips are down. Nigerians are all united for a sound handler and not a mediocre as the national team has over grown to be used as a testing material. Ibrahim Gusau be wise.

…Mr John Fwa, a veteran journalist is based in Kaduna