Former international Ifeanyi Udeze has blasted the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following the appointment of Eric Chelle as new head coach of the Super Eagles.
Chelle’s appointment was confirmed by the NFF on Tuesday.
The last substantive head coach of the Super Eagles, Finidi George left the role in June 2024.
Technical director of the NFF, Augustine Eguavoen took charge of the Super Eagles in interim capacity last September and guided the team to 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.
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Udeze opined that Eguavoen has better CV compare to Chelle, while also questioning the Malian’s appointment.
“A coach Mali sacked for a poor run in the World Cup qualifiers, does he deserve this job?” Udeze said on Brila FM.
“The most annoying thing is that Augustine Eguavoen, who was our interim coach, has a better CV than this Eric Chelle. On what grounds was Chelle employed?
“He took the job to enhance his CV. He doesn’t care whether we qualify for the World Cup or not. That’s the only reason he accepted the job.”
By Adeboye Amosu
24 Comments
Sir please u people should let the new coach work you peeps should stop critisizing to me the new super eagles coach is the best.
For God’s sake Ifeanyi how does this help?
The man has already been employed, let everyone come together and support him to succeed. All this sniping in the media when he has not even started is unnecessary.
Udeze, please save your breadth! Nigerians accept anything. If we could have a president at Aso Rock without a primary six certificate, we could as well decend even lower to the extent that a Malian should now teach Nigeria how to play soccer, when actually, it should be the other way round. Yet, a lot of us are expressing HOPELESS HOPE that a (trackless) Malian will qualify Nigeria for the world cup. We have no shame at all in Nigeria. We just accept anything. We don’t need Eguavoen, neither do we need this Malian. We have been waiting so long now for a coach to be appointed, let’s appoint a coach that befits us. Some of these coaches we are appointing, some of our players whom they want to coach even know coaching better than they do.
AUSTIN EGUAVOEN TIME AS COACH
PLAYED 5 GAMES
WON 2 NOT CONVINCINGLY
DRAW 2 WITH LOWER FOOTBALL COUNTRIES
LOSS 1 AGAINST LESS GOOTBALL COUNTRY
AND YET SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE IS DOING WITH THE CALIBER OF PLAYERS IN OUR SQUARD.
SOME TALK OR MAKE OPINION JUST FOR MAKING SAKE
Itell you oooo
Chale okay na, but is it his CV that will be doing the coaching? Kai! yuh pipos ar just too fullish. robbish!
Wetin come be all of these BS nah? For person wey never even start work o?
Yesterday, one of una we-we, parapo people say nah baby coach, today you say him CV no reach? All in the name of former team mate supporting former team mate?
Make una remember say this baba no be Nigerian o. Him no sabi our culture. Him fit no get that kind elephant skin to endure unnecessary insults and oppositions. Anyway thank God say he’s French, not English.
But make all of these people first go chop ice block and drink ice-chill water, make we first observe after CHAN in February biko.
Udeze, please save your breadth! Nigerians accept anything. If we could have a president at Aso Rock without a primary six certificate, we could as well decend even lower to the extent that a Malian should now teach Nigeria how to play soccer, when actually, it should be the other way round. Yet, a lot of us are expressing HOPELESS HOPE that a (trackless) Malian will qualify Nigeria for the world cup. We have no shame at all in Nigeria. We just accept anything.
Unfortunately for you, world class coaches won’t near your eagles with a long pole.
Na wa ooo for all these ex Nigeria players like this Ifeanyi, I just see this as lack work… Ifeanyi face your work and leave Chelle alone
Udeze with your poor education I don’t expect you to know better, so I rest my case enemy of progress keep wailing.
If eguaveon has a better cv than chelle, then let him leave that glass house and use his cv to get a coaching job outside the shores of nigeria let`s see…..
Eguaveon was given eagles job on 3 occasions which he failed woefully
he was the reason of our not going to 2022 world cup…..
he failed to go past second round at afcon, this is the same person they say has a better cv than a man who has coached in france…..
No @UBFE, Eguavoen had won a Bronze medal at AFCON 2006 and has qualified Nigeria to Afcon atleast 3 separate occasions. So atleast he has got upto Semi finals of Afcon. Chelle best is a quarter final spot with Mali and could not even beat mediocre Ghana team at home in the 2026 WCQ March in June 2024 forcing his sack by Mali FA.
The point Udeze is making is if we don’t want local coaches which are more cost effective, why hire a coach that Mali found inadequate of all foreign coaches available, especially with our precarious position in the world cup qualifiers?
God bless you tony, it is all hatred for local coaches. Imagine a local coach that was being paid N 5million naira a month and suddenly they can afford a local foreign coach for $55,000 a month. Who are they fooling. With all the noise about his tactics, why didn’t he use such tactics to win against Ghana like you stated. Even drew against CAR and Madagascar. Suddenly he is the messiah for to qualify us to the world cup. No problems. All fingers crossed
In your mind, a local coach will have the discipline, the courage, the fear factor to choose a team that will qualify us for the world cup in a group we are languishing at the bottom?
Which local coach will have the temerity to tell NFF not to impose players on him in the remaining 6 matches? Which local coach has the “experience” to sit Ihenacho down to work on his tactics apart from the perennial failure, Eguavoen? Who else is “experienced” to command respect from the fluffy Eagles and will instill a victor mindset on the team?
Chelle is a no nonsense coach who might even tell the team to have only “active” players on board. I hope you know not many Nigerians are playing actively right now. Will any local coach invite any other player to replace Ihenacho who hasn’t kicked a ball since 30 years ago?
Ironically, it’s even fellow ex internationals like Udeze in the technical committee that recommended Chelle to NFF.
Udeze can cry blood.
@Tony K……
you don`t get my point…..
i said let Eguavoen use his rich cv and bag a coaching job outside nigeriria let`s see…..
can Eguavoen use that Mali team and reach afcon quater finals????
you`re talking about ghana, is it not the same ghana team that bundled Eguavoen out of world cup qualifiers????
a tunisia team b coach used tunisia team C and sent him packing from afcon ……
Take it or leave it, we don`t have any home based coach presently that knows modern day football as compared to eric chelle……
when Gernot Rohr and Peseiro adopted a 3-5-2 formation just to solidify our shaky midfield, we all rant that they play more defensive inspite of the plethora of strikers in the super eagles…. they deceived Finidi George who opted for attacking football, when the chips were down, every body ran away and started playing blame games….
Eguavoen came in and we all expected him to play that attacking football that he and his cohort were clamouring for, but baba decided to adopt the same peseiro and Rohr tactics…. at least by now he has learnt his lessons…..
i`m not saying chelle is the best option but let`s see if he can bring that brand of football we saw at afcon when he was coach of mali to nigeria…..
if he fails, we show him the exit door…. after all, we hire AND WE CAN ALSO FIRE…..no coach is above this….
my prayer is that , the likes of Sone Aluko and Efe Ambrose rise the position of managing big teams so they can come and take over the super eagles because it seems they are the only ex international that looks serious…..
i rest my case….
***SHALOM***
Eguavoen time is over, if Eguavoen is Good NFF will not go for another coach, the mali coach is more technical and play more composed football, forget about the colour
Oga Udenze, sorry sir ,na jealousy dey worry you and you be mad man! So na CV dey play Ball? Coach can have all the VC and still fail like we see in Europe league! We are talking about tactical wisdom and Nigeria need young new moden coach , just like Chelle, westerhoff and bonfere came to Nigeria without long cv and shape our football. Keshi qualify Togo first World cup without long CV. Gadiola that have new moden tactical brain to handle any match situations how many trophies him Don win? Our exinternationals should go and try they luck outside Nigeria and prove they self like white coaches do. Not on the radio stations talking bulshit and captivating others . Because chelle is a black that’s why you look down on him? His a smart guy, watch out. So many players will retire from super eagles, you will see new Boyz gradually.
It is better not to say anything if you don’t have a better thing to say, Udeze.
Eguavoen is one of the most corrupt men in the NFF, including Diko, Seyi Amaju Pinnick and others.
Eric Chelle will not tolerate nonsense from NFF like Eguavoen, and others were doing.
Chelle is bringing transparency into the Super Eagles and the pattern of play.
The Super Eagles have no pattern of play under Eguavoen.
The superiority of Eric Chelle is beyond Eguavoen’s imagination kę.
Only Siasia can compete with Eric Chelle.
If our own feel like the appointment of Eric Chelle is an insult to them, they should step up their game too.
Our own should not do shady stuff with the NFF anymore, and the selection of the team must based on merit. Then, we can talk about them but for now, let’s welcome Eric Chelle.
Our own and NFF are not transparent and not trustworthy when it comes to brown envelopes.
Our local coaches must respect themselves and stop begging for a job.
The introduction of Eric Chelle is a wake-up call if our own knows.
It is a shame to them that we can not rely on any of our local coaches to take Nigeria to the World Cup and Afcon this time around. Are we not reaching that level yet?
Siasia is just coming back into football and he shouldn’t be rushed if he is not ready.
Chelle is way better than Eguavoen and other ex-players apart from Siasia.
Apart from Siasia, I will not recommend our own or any foreign coach to Nigerians. Chelle is the best for the job shikena.
So, let’s fail with Eric Chelle. We are tired of fairly used foreign coaches.
Let’s give Eric Chelle a chance to do his job period. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Sometimes i wonder how people just condemned an individual without proper confirmation.The first time i watched the friendly match between Nigeria and Mali,i confirmed the good tactics of Eric chelle against nigeria.The man is tactically good for christ sake.He was unlucky he lost out at the quarter finals at the last nations cup.
Westarhof and bonfere jo CVs where not fantastically superb when they were given the Nigeria national team coach job.
Gernot Rohr and Peseiro CVs were not that good,but all these men excel with what was on ground.Till tomorrow,Gernot rohr is still not happy of not coaching Nigeria football team.
A team that has Victor Osimhen,ademola lookman,victor boniface,samuel chukwueze,moses simon,troost ekong etc will do well under a good tactical coach.
What Nigerians need is a winning team whenever they are playing football.Please allow this coach for two years and you will see a new super eagles
How come and the reason he is the best to couch our national team. The Super Eagles of Nigeria is not anybody’s property it’s our own.
Don’t take us for a ride and note we can only accept him if he fails those in the NFF that brought him must go with him. Period
I support the New coach 100 percent, since Austin Equavoen took over the S.E eagles can you pls remind one match that we played that you say we played well with tactical discipline. most of our coaches have not gone out to acquire more tactical knowledge of the game to be able to compete on the international stage at the senior level. check out all our clubs competing in the CAF champions league and CAF confederation league, where do we get to in the past 15yrs on this stage. the only coach I can say or talk about is SAMSON SIASIA but he has been out of coaching for a while so he need to start from club coaching to show he still has what it takes to handle the EAGLES. but for now ERIC is the best we can get and I support him. let our coaches go out and acquire more knowledge about the game in Europe and in the US by going to under study coaches in countries like England, Spain, Germany, Holland etc to be able to compete with the best. I wash Mali played under him and I can tell you they played football compare to what we have played under Finidi and Eguavoen so far, with the Caliber of players we have beating Rwanda, Libya Lesotho should not have been a problem, but it was under this coaches so pls be sincere and say it they way it is. Eric can perform if we support him.
AUSTIN EGUAVOEN
PLAYED 5 GAMES
WON 2 NOT CONVINCINGLY
DRAW 2 WITH LOWER FOOTBALL COUNTRIES
LOSS 1 AGAINST LESS GOOTBALL COUNTRY
AND YET SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE IS DOING WITH THE CALIBER OF PLAYERS IN OUR SQUARD.
SOME TALK OR MAKE OPINION JUST FOR MAKING SAKE
ERIC CHELLE WITH MALI
PLAYED 21 GAMES
WON 13
DRAW 5
LOSS 3
THINK AND MAKE FINDING BEFORE COMMENTING PLS.
Udeze is talking nonsense. Eguavoen had his chances in the past. lately, he invited Iheanacho who from all indications was not starting in his club and he allowed him to play. Home based coaches are always bending to pressure from the powers that be. He says Chelle has no experience. Really? What experience did Westerhoff have before coming to Nigeria and after? The only reason some are against Chelle is because he’s black and that is very unfortunate