The appointment of Eric Sekou Chelle as the Head coach of the Super Eagles on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, has generated mixed reactions. While some welcome the appointment, others have roundly condemned it.
Proponents of his appointment claim that he will introduce fresh perspective to Nigerian football and if given enough time, can bring stability to the national team. Such proponents, like CAF and FIFA Executive Committee member, Amaju Pinnick argue further that Chelle's offensive coaching philosophy aligns with Nigeria's traditional attacking approach to football.
On the other hand, those opposed to his appointment say he has no pedigree or a major trophy to his name and therefore has nothing to offer. Such persons go on to say that the Super Eagles is a big brand and he cannot manage the players, most of whom are "big boys", by any standard.
Eric Chelle was born in Cote d' Ivore to a French father and a Malian mother. He was the Head Coach of the Malian senior men national football team, the Aiglons between May, 2022 and June, 2024.
Chelle had previously coached clubs such as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne and MC Oran, before becoming Head coach of the Aiglons in May, 2022. In his playing days, Chelle featured as a centre-back for Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres and Chamois Niortais in France. He also featured for the Malian national team, the Aiglons where he won five caps.
Does Chelle have the credentials to the Super Eagles? The Super Eagles coach should be someone with a proven track record, should have experience in managing high profile players, should have a deep understanding of the game, should have technical and tactical depth, should be able to read matches and proffer solutions to neutralize the opposition and should be able to motivate and lift the players when the opponents are leading. It is not clear how much of these Chelle has.
Records indicate that Chelle was fired on two occasions for poor results. In May 2021 he was appointed head coach of US Boulogne. Within the space of seven months, precisely on December 11, 2021, he was dismissed after the club nicked just three points from 10 matches. In addition, in 2022, Chelle was appointed manager of Mali and was again sacked days after the Aiglons were held to a scoreless draw by 10-man Madagascar in a Group 1 World Cup qualifier held in Johannesburg. Is this the coach Nigeria wants for its flagship brand, the Super Eagles? Is this the best coach Nigeria can get?
Chelle's credentials at best can be described as average. There are Nigerians who can boast of better credentials. If his highest achievement is taking Mali to the quarter-final of the last Nations Cup, the Technical Director of the NFF, Augustine Eguavoen has surpassed that. He led the Super Eagles to a third place finish in 2006 and second place last year in Cote d' Ivore, so why settle for less?
Reacting to Chelle's appointment, a football enthusiast, Ebbyzymore Numa, said, "Chelle's coaching credentials are unimpressive. He's not among the top 50 coaches in Africa, and his stint with Mali's national team was underwhelming.
"The Super Eagles deserve a coach with a proven track record, not someone who has been fired from his previous job. Chelle's appointment is a step backward for Nigerian football, and it will be demoralizing for the players.
"The NFF overlooked more qualified coaches, including indigenous Nigerian coaches, to settle for Chelle. The federation's intentions are unclear, but one thing is certain – the Super Eagles' chances of success have been compromised.
The Nigerian football community deserves better".
In his reaction, former chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Bayelsa State Council, Alambo Fred Datonye said, "I watched Mali at the last Africa Nations Cup, coached by Eric Sekou Chelle. From my perspective, they played very exciting football. It shows the coach has something up his sleeves. The Malians were the most organized and played a compact style of football. This indicates the man is a good tactician. If given the right atmosphere and time, I anticipate he might succeed.
"However, coming to coach a big brand as the Super Eagles of Nigeria with all the big egos of the players, interference from administrators and pressure from impatient fans, he may need something extra to succeed. If he is able to start on a good footing with the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Rwanda in Kigali, then I think he may have a good time, otherwise it will be a very Herculean task especially with his low experience in such a capacity".
Also contributing to the debate, ex-international, Moses Kpakor said, "Eric Chelle's appointment is not only disappointing, it's an insult to Nigeria as a great footballing nation which has produced some of the best football players in the world, most of whom have become coaches today".
On his part, Sports Editor, New Waves newspaper, Loveday Herbert said, "History of events around Nigeria Football Federation always place a huge doubt on the recruitment of Super Eagles handlers. Contract secrecy always becloud it and in the process, top coaches are not considered. I am still amused at the criteria used to engage a coach that has no championship medal to his credit. Aside, NFF has not considered Super Eagles as a big brand in African football. This is why our fortunes continue to decline in global rating. Mali is distance away by FIFA rating compared to the Super Eagles. Therefore, I will not stick out my neck that Eric Sekou Chelle will bring anything positive to the Super Eagles performance in next month's AFCON".
Now that the NFF has appointed Chelle, Nigerians have no choice than to accept and support him to succeed but if the truth must be told, the Malian is not the right man for the Super Eagles job. Like someone said, the Super Eagles shoes are far bigger than Chelle's foot. Those who appointed him have dragged our football plenty years backwards. Nigeria certainly deserves better.
