Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi has advised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to retain Eric Chelle following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.
Chelle was appointed as the Super Eagles head coach on January 7 and has steadily grown into the role.
The Franco-Malian tactician was originally tasked with rescuing Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign after a slow start, but he was unable to do so.
He was granted another opportunity through the CAF Playoffs; however, the team lost to DR Congo in the final following a disappointing performance.
Due to these results, doubts emerged regarding his capabilities, with some even calling for his dismissal. Despite the pressure, the NFF stuck with him and allowed him to lead the team into the 2025 AFCON.
That decision proved to be a masterstroke, as the team has played some of its best football in years. Under Chelle, the Super Eagles appeared well-drilled and dominated the majority of their matches.
Unfortunately, their run came to an end on Friday after being knocked out by hosts Morocco in the semifinals. While it was a frustrating result for the team, even the Atlas Lions were not at their clinical best.
The semifinal defeat condemned the Super Eagles to the third-place play-off against Egypt on Saturday.
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What Wilfred Ndidi Said About Eric Chelle
Ahead of the fixture between Nigeria and Egypt, Super Eagles skipper Ndidi spoke to the press on Thursday, offering high praise for Chelle.
The Besiktas midfielder lauded his Franco-Malian boss and urged the NFF to keep him in charge for the long term.
“When we talk about the experience as the captain. For the future, I will say this team I am very proud of, they have done great thing in this tournament and it's been amazing,” Ndidi said, as observed by Soccernet.ng.
“For continuity, I feel like they should keep the coach because he is a wonderful manager; the only thing we need in this team is continuity.
“We should not change things now because we did not make it to the final; we should remain focus because there are so many competitions ahead.”
Chelle signed a two-year contract with the NFF. This means that his contract will expire next January. However, with his performance at AFCON 2025, there is a good chance that he will be handed a contract extension.
Meanwhile, there are other countries like Tunisia and Algeria who are lurking. They will be looking to take advantage if he leaves Nigeria.
