NFF President reveals Eric Chelle’s first assignment as Super Eagles coach

The Nigeria Football Federation President Ibrahim Gusau has revealed that coach Eric Chelle will only play a supervisory role and will not be the head coach of the CHAN team, Soccernet.ng reports.

Chelle was named as the coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria last week, taking over from Augustine Eguavoen who had been serving as the interim coach since mid-2024.

The Franco-Malian’s last and only national team job was last year, when he led Mali to a quarter-final finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Following his appointment as Super Eagles coach, there have been questions as to whether he would take charge of the Super Eagles Team B ahead of the upcoming CHAN competition. However, the air has been cleared now.

The NFF unveiled Chelle in Abuja on Monday, and they revealed that the 47-year-old is mainly in charge of the main team. But meanwhile, he would undertake a supervisory role with the CHAN team as they prepare for the competition in Ogun.

“Eric Chelle will be departing Abuja for Ikenne Remo in Ogun State to join the camp of the home-based Eagles,” Gusau told journalists.

“He will take on a supervisory role as he gets familiar with the players, working closely with the coaches to oversee the team’s activities.”

The next few months will be key for Chelle. He won’t be judged on the performance of the CHAN team though. Rather, his major target will be to help the Super Eagles qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.