Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has explained why he travelled to Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, to watch Nigeria's Flying Eagles defeat Togo 3-0 in the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 48-year-old was among the spectators at the Lycée Scientifique Stadium on Friday as the defending champions secured their place in the semifinals with an impressive second Group B victory.
Chelle was not simply there to cheer the team on. The former Mali coach said the trip formed part of his long-term plan to build a stronger future for Nigerian football by closely following the country's best young players before they move abroad.
His visit came as Sporting Supreme striker Abdulmuiz Adeleke continued his remarkable tournament. The 17-year-old scored twice in the second half after already netting a brace in Nigeria's 4-2 win over Ghana's Black Satellites in their opening game. Adeleke's outstanding display earned him the official Man of the Match award, presented by the vice president of the Burkinabé Football Federation.
Former Super Eagles midfielder Seyi Olofinjana was also in attendance. Olofinjana, who now works for Chelsea as the club's African talent manager, has been monitoring emerging stars across the continent for both Chelsea and French sister club Strasbourg. Adeleke has already trained with both clubs and is expected to complete a move after turning 18 next year.
Chelle praises Flying Eagles' response and explains youth project
Although Nigeria won comfortably, Chelle admitted the Flying Eagles faced a difficult challenge before halftime because of Togo's ability to keep possession.
“I feel the game was good. But the first half was difficult for Nigeria because Togo have a good team. They started playing with the ball, and it was difficult for us,” Chelle told DagaShotz.
He credited Flying Eagles coach Abdu Maikaba for changing the game after the break by asking his players to press higher up the pitch.
“In the second half, I think the coach asked the boys to press the team higher, and that's what they did. They played well. They played very well in the second half,” he said.
According to Chelle, Nigeria's aggressive pressing forced Togo into mistakes and created the chances that produced the three goals.
“They put a lot of pressure on the team, and they won the ball back high up the pitch. That's why they scored many goals, because they created a lot of chances.”
The Super Eagles manager said he enjoyed what he saw and hopes to return for Nigeria's next match.
“So I was happy with what I saw in the second half. I just came to greet them, to support them, and I hope I will be here for the third game to watch them,” he stated.
Beyond the result, Chelle stressed that Nigeria's Under-17 and Under-20 teams are central to his vision for the country's future. He believes building strong youth teams is the first step towards creating a successful senior national side.
“The beginning of the project is the Under-17 and the Under-20 teams. So we have to start working with these two national teams because, as I said, this is the first step,” Chelle explained.
He also revealed that one of his most important priorities is identifying talented players early and adding them to the national team's scouting database before they leave Nigeria.
“My job is to try to find and scout some players because, after that, when they go to Europe, it's difficult to continue watching them. There are so many clubs and so many countries. So I prefer to put them directly into the database and continue following them,” he said.
Chelle added that he has already spent time with the Flying Eagles during their preparations in Abuja and considers himself a big supporter of the team.
“But I'm happy to see all these boys because, when they were in Abuja, I went to watch some of their training sessions. I told them, ‘Now I'm your first fan.' So I was happy to see them and to see this victory,” he revealed.
Nigeria's Flying Eagles could face either host Cote d'Ivoire or Niger Republic in the semifinal of the WAFU B tournament.
