Éric Sékou Chelle has been officially unveiled as the new head coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Chelle was presented to the media by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) at the conference room of the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja on Monday.
Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau and Secretary General, Mohammed Sanusi were among the dignitaries that attended the unveiling ceremony.
The former defender is coming with three backroom staff; First Assistant, Hadi Taboubi, Fitness Trainer, Thomas Gornourec and Goalkeeper Trainer, Jean Daniel Padovani.
The 47-year-old quit his role with Algerian club, MC Oran to manage the Super Eagles.
He will take up a supervisory role at the at the upcoming 2024 African Nations Championship will be co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
By Adeboye Amosu
12 Comments
Eric Chelle you are welcome to Nigeria
I HOPE ERIC CHELLE CONSULTED PAST NIGERIA FOREIGN COACHES ( like phillipe Troussier, Le Guen, G.Rohr) FOR ADVICE AND SCRUTINIZE THE CONTRACT BEFORE PUTTING PEN ON PAPER SO THAT YOU WILL NOT BE SCAM BY FRAUDULENT MANAGEMENT.
Welcome to hell sir, personally I don’t see him doing well cos the odds are stacked against him.
one must wonder how he’s going to deal with NFFs shenanigans, difficult trips to ever improving teams like Rwanda and Nigerian fan pressure especially when he isn’t welcome.
Tactically he’s ok but it takes much more than tactics alone to do well at the SE and his over reliance on tactics was/is his Achilles heel at Mali. It takes strong will,guts,willingness to fight,heart and total focus to succeed at the helm of the SE,the NFF should’ve known this before hiring this snowflake.
I’ll support him nonetheless solely because of the SE nothing more.
Out of hundreds of former naija players none can coach the national team. Embarrassing so called giants of Africa.
Nawao for NFF sha. Of all the Coaches in the world is a Malian that they finally chose, if he is that good why did his country relieved him of his job? Anyways I wish him good luck
You’re as good as your last job
In his last job as Mali Coach
Played 30 games
Won 23
Lost 3
Draw 4.
Tell me a Nigerian coach that can Boast of this record. When he was sacked in Mali the players protested and the Mali FA did everything to bring him back but he refused to go back. That’s shows a man that knows his worth. Stop all these hates because he’s a black man. England is a very big football playing nations yet they hire coaches from outside the England to manage their national team. Eric is a France trained coach who is better than all so called ex internationals sleeping and waking up in glass house all their lives begging for jobs from NFF.
Thank you sir you nailed it well when he starts doing well sir you will see that it will be the same people that will praise him,I listened to Mr Godwin and Mr mitchelle Obi they said is a good tactical coach that will bring the best in the super eagles.
@Tancosport, beautiful analysis.You said it all .
Keep it up
Let the wailers continue to wait. How many world class foreign coaches applied for the Nigerian job? They feel Nigeria can’t qualify for the world cup.
Ironically, goals win the points. In 4 world cup qualifying matches, we scored only 4 goals – with our so-called star studded team.
Many bigmanism and inactive players will still have made the call up in March if our local coaches had remained because they are simply untouchable.
Is it not Eguavoen who said he’ll only call up players he’s worked with in the past? How many of them are currently “active” to prosecute 6 must win matches?
Chelle loves attacking football. Attacking football demands players will always be fit and active. Many players are currently languishing on the bench. With a new sheriff in town, I bet they’ll already know their fate.
We need 18 points which means scoring lots of goals. Senegal and Morocco, even Algeria don’t have two heads. In like manner, our world cup foes would have been dropping points even though South Africa has 5 “home” games.
Bench warmers should not make our squad list in March which will give room for several debut. Good one, with Chelle.
Eguavoen would have stuck with most of his “currently idle” boys and hope doing the same thing over and over again will yield a new result.
Chelle right now, since we are “unattractive” to “foreign” coaches, knows what is at stake and WILL NOT INVITE DEADWEIGHTS for his 6 qualifiers. Watch out. Many players will begin to sit up because they don’t know his criteria yet
Meanwhile, Chelle has a UEFA PRO COACHING LICENSE. How many Nigerian coaches have that or even take personal training seriously when they don’t have further ambition than coaching old men in the Nigerian league?
That’s why we don’t have our coaches in other nations apart from NPFL.
Morocco has coaches scattered across the continent even in female football but the so-called giant of Africa is idling away.
I see Chelle even beyond the WC qualifiers already.
The appointment of Eric Chelle Sekou as the new Super Eagles coach has sparked the usual Nigerian skepticism, and unsurprisingly, some critics have latched onto the trifecta of nationality, experience, and pedigree to condemn it. “He’s French-Malian, not Nigerian! His CV isn’t glamorous enough! Can he handle the Super Eagles?” The arguments are as predictable as they are flimsy. If nationality were the key to success, the late Stephen Keshi wouldn’t have led Nigeria to AFCON glory in 2013. And let’s not even talk about the star-studded “pedigreed” coaches who have come and gone without delivering anything but heartbreak and migraines.
Now let’s get real: Eric Chelle Sekou is here because he brings a fresh, attack-minded philosophy that Nigeria has sorely lacked. His record speaks louder than the doubters ever could. During his tenure with Mali, Chelle’s team played 30 matches, won 23, drew 4, and lost only 3. That’s an impressive win rate of nearly 77%! And it wasn’t just about grinding out results; it was about how his team played. Mali, under Chelle, didn’t just win—they dismantled opponents.
Take their 3-1 thrashing of South Africa at the last AFCON. Yes, the same South Africa that nearly dumped us out in the semifinals. Mali didn’t just beat them; they dominated with superior possession, fluid attacking transitions, and clinical finishing. It’s hard to forget how they outplayed us last year in that 2-0 friendly defeat. Superior ball control, pressing, and tactical discipline made the Super Eagles look like amateurs. While Nigeria has struggled to dispatch minnows with any semblance of ease, Mali under Chelle routinely delivered scorelines like 6-2, 4-0, and 5-0. These are figures that seem alien to us despite boasting one of Africa’s most fearsome attacking rosters.
Which brings us to the real problem: recent Super Eagles coaches haven’t maximized the attacking arsenal at their disposal. Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, and Kelechi Iheanacho are players most nations would kill for, yet our play has often been disjointed and predictable. Peseiro relied heavily on Osimhen’s brilliance but lacked a cohesive system. Eguavoen, despite moments of flair, ultimately fell short. Chelle, on the other hand, has a track record of building dynamic, attacking systems where every player contributes to the team’s fluidity. His emphasis on quick transitions, high pressing, and relentless attacking play is exactly what Nigeria needs to complement our firepower.
Let’s not ignore the evidence. Under Chelle, Mali wasn’t just a physical, gritty side—they played intelligent, possession-based football. They controlled games, dictated tempo, and punished teams ruthlessly. If Chelle can bring that same tactical identity to the Super Eagles, we could finally see a team that doesn’t just scrape wins but dominates games with flair and authority.
Of course, no coach is perfect, and Chelle will need time to adapt to the pressures and peculiarities of Nigerian football. But this appointment feels different—it feels like a step in the right direction. Instead of recycled names and questionable choices, the NFF has brought in a tactician with a clear philosophy and a proven ability to get results.
So, to the skeptics: relax. Let’s give Chelle the support he needs to succeed. With his attacking mindset and tactical acumen, the Super Eagles might just be about to take flight in a way we haven’t seen in years. Fingers crossed, folks—this could be the start of something special.
It takes courage and incredible self-confidence to take up the SE job at this time.
The guy knows what he’s doing. He wants to make history with Nigeria at the WC. Give a good team a good coach, and watch the magic happen!
@Tancospport, God bless you. You are the first person that speak with sense.
Let’s support him. I believe he will perform.
God bless Nigeria
Illiteracy stinks I am not surprised people like you still exist in Nigeria. I’m still waiting for Egungu to come out with his real I.d instead of hiding behind Ghost names to bad mouth the coach and wish him failure even before his first match just because he is a black man.