“Siasia or Eguavoen are not needed anymore” – Nigeria warned against sacking Chelle weeks before 2025 AFCON

Former international Yakubu Aiyegbeni has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to resist calls to bring back Samson Siasia or Augustine Eguavoen as the next Super Eagles head coach, Soccernet.ng reports.

The former Everton and Portsmouth striker insists the national team has ‘gone past that era' of recycling indigenous coaches. 

Aiyegbeni’s remarks come amid growing uncertainty over the future of Eric Chelle, the Malian tactician who failed to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Although Chelle’s Eagles remains unbeaten in regulation time in eight competitive matches, his inability to reach football’s biggest tournament has intensified pressure around his position.

But with the 2025 AFCON just four weeks away, Aiyegbeni believes any major coaching change now would be reckless.

Speaking on the Home Turf podcast, the former Everton striker questioned Nigeria’s long-standing struggle to appoint a decisive, long-term manager.

Aiyegbeni said: “Why do we always find it difficult to get a decisive coach when it matters? We say we need a foreign coach, and I agree, we still need a foreign coach.

“It’s too close (to the AFCON) to bring in another coach.”

Aiyegbeni also made it clear that he believes two of the most frequently reappointed local coaches are no longer the right fit for the job.

He added: “I don’t think Siasia or Eguavoen are needed anymore. We’ve gone past that era. I think we should try to sit together and look for whom to bring. It’s time to move forward, not backwards.”

Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!

Nigeria’s history of coaching instability under the spotlight

Nigeria’s inconsistent succession strategy remains a persistent problem. During the 2026 World Cup and 2025 AFCON qualifying cycle alone, four coaches led the Super Eagles, each leaving mixed impressions.

Jose Peseiro began the World Cup qualifying campaign before stepping aside for Finidi George. George’s brief stint ended abruptly, paving the way for Eguavoen to step in and eventually guide the team to the AFCON tournament. Eguavoen then handed the reins to Chelle, who led the Super Eagles to a penalty shootout defeat against DR Congo that ended Nigeria’s World Cup hopes.

The carousel is familiar. Eguavoen has served in the role five different times, more than any coach in the country’s history. Siasia has had two spells, in 2010 and 2016. Between them, they represent Nigeria’s tendency to recycle familiar faces rather than establish long-term technical continuity.

By contrast, Nigeria has had only a handful of European managers in the last 25 years: Lars Lagerbäck, Berti Vogts, Gernot Rohr, and Jose Peseiro. Rohr remains the longest-serving, guiding the team for five years.

In the same period, nine Nigerian coaches, including former international Sunday Oliseh and the late Stephen Keshi, have had turns at the helm. It is this stop-start nature of the country’s coaching policy that is partly responsible for Nigeria's failure to qualify for three of the last six World Cups and three of the last seven AFCONs.