Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has jokingly stated that Nigerian football fans are putting him under a lot of pressure, Soccernet.ng reports.
Chelle has been under scrutiny since his appointment as coach of the Super Eagles. This is not surprising, as Nigeria has one of the best squads on the continent.
The Franco-Malian tactician's setup has also been under the searchlight, especially when results don't go the team's way.
Nonetheless, so far at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Chelle has been doing well. He won all three of his games in the group stage of the tournament in impressive fashion. In fact, under his watch, the team scored a record-eight goals in the group stages.
In fact, Nigeria had already sealed their place in the knockout round after the second game. Consequently, he experimented with a changed squad in the third and last game of the group stages against Uganda last Tuesday.
After the game which ended 3-1 in Nigeria's favour, Chelle was apparently in high spirits as he spoke to the press at the mixed zone.
He deployed a strike partnership of Victor Osimhen and Paul Onauchu for that game. He was asked whether he would continue with the same pairing moving forward, and he gave a funny reply.
What Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle Said About Pressure From Nigerians
“Everybody wants to kill me, you don't want me to rest a little, you don't want me to go back to the hotel to eat, to sleep, and try to analyze my game,” Eric Chelle told Isemuan.
“Everybody wants to k1ll me, you don't want me to rest a little”
– Eric Chelle.
– @Isemuan_ pic.twitter.com/Ods1M5S9SS
— Official AGT⚽️ (@Iam_agt) January 4, 2026
Chelle Looking To Lead Super Eagles To AFCON Success
By the strength of their performance in the group stage of the AFCON, Nigeria look like one of the top favourites to claim the trophy in Morocco.
The team looks very good at the moment, albeit the defence has been deemed the weak point, as they have conceded in all three games at the tournament.
The Super Eagles Face Mozambique in the round of 16 today, and they will be looking to see off their opponents and seal a quarterfinal spot.
