Eric Chelle: Nigerians Express Their Fear About NFF Appointing Malian As Super Eagles Boss

• The Nigerian Football Federation last night announced the appointment of Eric Chelle as the new Super Eagles coach
• Chelle will be the first permanent manager of the team since Finidi George resigned from the role in June 2024
• Nigerian football fans have expressed their fears over the appointment of the former Mali national team coach

CHECK OUT: Education is Your Right! Don’t Let Social Norms Hold You Back. Learn Online with LEGIT. Enroll Now!

Nigerian football fans have not taken kindly to the NFF appointing former Malian national team coach Eric Chelle as the new Super Eagles' permanent manager.

The Super Eagles have been without a permanent manager since Finidi George resigned in June and Bruno Labbadia’s appointment failed. NFF's technical adviser, Augustine Eguavoen, has been in charge in the interim.

In a late announcement yesterday, NFF confirmed via a social media post that Chelle will take charge of the Super Eagles, ending months of speculation over the next manager.

Chelle was the former Mali national team manager and coached the team to reach the quarter-final of AFCON 2023, where they surrendered their lead against Ivory Coast with three minutes left.

Nigerians react to Chelle’s appointment

The news of the 47-year-old’s appointment did not go down well with Nigerians, and they did not hide their dissatisfaction because they wanted someone supposedly better.

Top journalist Tobi Adepoju asked the fans to state their fears about the Ivorian-born manager, with many fans dropping different takes.

@TheNewOkoObaVo1 replied:

“He isn't even good enough for the position. The people there prior were delivering what he is likely to deliver if not better than what he will do so why let them go for a worse option.”

@tru0k_dan replied:

“He has good attacking returns, but I'm worried about the team. Mali were 1-0 up in the 87th minute at Afcon and lost not even on penalties. That's not encouraging. Also, 5 caps at Int'l level proves you don't have experience dealing with pressure from a nation at an international tournament let alone one the size of Nigeria. He's taking us to the WC 2026, so probably in charge at Afcon? I'm not really convinced.”

@QudusAlashe replied:

“He is not experienced enough , he can’t even take mali 🇲🇱 to the semifinals of AFCON in 2024. It’s a slap on the faces of our Nigerian 🇳🇬 coaches.”

@Phemmyadamson wrote:

“I wonder. Give the man a break. He hasn't even started, people are wailing. Like tf.”

@Grant2012 replied:

“Again, the name Eric comes with a deep-seated PTSD. Speaking as a Man United fan.”

Chelle produced one of the funniest moments of AFCON 2023. His assistant poured a cold bottle of water on his head after Mali were eliminated, and the video went viral last night after the announcement.

Key things to know about Eric Chelle

Legit.ng analysed the key things to know about Eric Chelle after the former Malian international defender was announced as the new Super Eagles boss last night.

The 47-year-old Ivoriab-born manager is the first non-Nigerian African head coach to take charge of the Super Eagles and will be in charge until the end of AFCON 2025 at least.