President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Gusau, has said Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle’s mandate for the 2025 AFCON is to reach the final.
After the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, attention of Nigerian football fans is the 2025 AFCON which will kick off on December 21 in Morocco.
The Super Eagles are in Group C with AFCON 2004 champions Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania.
Ahead of the tournament Gusau, in an exclusive chat with Nigeria football legend Dr. Segun Odegbami on Eagle7 103.7 FM’s Saturday morning show, “90 Minutes With Mathematical7”, said:”The mandate is for him to get to the final of the tournament.”
When asked if Chelle gets to the final whether it means he has delivered, Gusau replied: “Yes.”
There were lots of reactions after the announcement of the final 18-man Super Eagles squad for the AFCON.
The inclusion of certain players was questioned, leading to claims that the NFF influenced the selection of players in the final squad.
Reacting to the claims, Gusau denied that he or NFF had anything to do with the final list of the Super Eagles for the 2025 AFCON.
“Any national coach can be asked privately if me, Ibrahim Gusau as NFF president has ever called them to say this is a player that must be taken into a team. I have never done that,” he said.
“I know quite well few days ago the technical committee has been speaking with Eric Chelle and when people are talking I want them to be careful about what is going on especially in social media because there are a lot of interest. The environment is highly polluted, every area of football sector, you will find a lot of agents roaming about in that sector.
“If you are a player in Serie A and sit on the bench and hardly play 20 or 25 minutes and someone plays in a league where he plays week in week out and performing well, then how can someone who sits on the bench in Serie A be invited?
“I think the coaches have a mandate and football now is scientific and every coach has a pattern of play he wants to play. So we have people who go out to talk without making proper investigation to know why but because of certain interest. And like I said the environment is highly polluted because of this agent issues and which comes from all sectors be it the coaches, media people who are now agents, so they can talk anyhow when it comes to selection of players. Unfortunately for them this players are known by everybody and whose information can be gotten.
“So I don’t have and I will never have any input or interest in telling the coach which player he is going to invite. Since I became president I have never even stayed in one hotel with the senior national team whenever they go because I don’t want to distract the coach and I don’t want any distraction with the players, I want them to concentrate and do their job, so I have never done that and I will never do that.”
By James Agberebi
4 Comments
Nff aza men!”! The strongly serially Corrupt Nff members and the dubious amaju pinnick and gasua! Nigerians thank you all for perpetually always ringing squad called up lists! Africa has 9 spot for 2026 World Cup and every other serious nation and it’s football federation were dead serious with every match but we couldn’t get a good coach for many many months and later gifted that undeserving finidi a big position he couldn’t handle. Finally, the Nff rigmarole and gambled with 4 coaches including Eguavoen and we deservedly failed to qualify for 2026 world Cup, the same foolishness made amaju pinnick to sack gernot rohr and appointed the recircled Eguavoen with just days to 2 crucial games against Ghana, And deservedly failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 because of our NFFJAMBOREE foolish president and his seconding members under that very dubiously inclined amaju pinnick. Under pinnick amaju and now gasua our football in Nigeria at all levels are a disaster and at all time low! If I was president Tinubu, I will sack and dissolve the full nff including the furniture and cleaners, for system corruption and celebrated incompetency! With these idiots at Nff, Nigeria will again fail to qualify for 2030 world Cup. These Nff are Serial failure! From one failure to another failure. NFF AZA MEN@!!@
Hi fans, I just watched some videos of Usman Mohammed and So hv seen why chelle picked him despite the age and league he is playing. Lets forget where he is playing and where he is not playing . This life na luck and grace dey decide how far. Chelle is indeed a good and very detailed Coach. From what i hv seen Usman is an Upgraded version of Iwobi . very comfortable on the ball; better ball retention and winning abilities. He also carries and drives the team forward. To be very honest if this guy had played against DR congo Nigeria would hv beaten Dr Congo. Lets not forget it was Iwobićs poor ball retention and winning ability that led to the equalizer against Congo. All Usman needs is confidence. Once he gets it. Nigerians will witness a better SE midfield where Iwobi will be coming from the bench or deployed to the wings
We care less Mr man, if you like asked the coach to select ur entire household.
Rubbish.
Shame on all of you!
Back to back World Cup failure.
Unrecognizable youth teams.
You guys have managed to run a once proud national team into the ground.
Where is the accountability?