NFF Names Eric Chelle Super Eagles’ Head Coach
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed the appointment of Éric Sékou Chelle as Head Coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
According to reports, “the NFF Technical and Development Sub-Committee had recommended the appointment of the former Coach of the senior men national team of Mali as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles” at its ”meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, 2nd January 2025″.
Consequently, the NFF Executive Committee endorsed the recommendation on Tuesday, 7th January as captured in the published announcement on the Federation’s website.
The reports indicated that Chelle’s appointment is with immediate effect, and the NFF has mandated him to ensure the Super Eagles earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, with the next round of matches (Match Days 5 and 6) scheduled to take place in March 2025.
During his playing days, the 47-year-old Chelle donned the jerseys of Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres and Chamois Niortais in the French Ligue 1
With five caps to his credit while playing for the Malian National team, the Aiglons, Chelle, who has been Mali’s Head Coach since 2022, also handled clubs like as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne and MC Oran.
At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cote d’Ivoire, Chelle, who was sacked from the Aiglons’ job on 13 June 2024, came close to nicking a semi-finals berth but ended losing to the hosts and eventual winners, Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 after extra time.
The Malians were leading by a lone goal until the final minute of regulation time when the Ivorians scored the equalizer and thereafter went on to win in extra time.
He was born on 11 November 1977 in Ivory Coast to a French father and a Malian mother.
