Nigerian Football
What Nigerians should expect from new Super Eagles’ manager, Chelle
BY ISAIAH AKINREMI.
New Nigeria boss Eric Chelle will face the biggest challenge of his managerial career when the Malian takes charge of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March.
The 47-year-old, who makes history as the first non-Nigerian African to assume the role of Super Eagles head coach, gained the attention of his new employers when he led Mali to a rare victory over Nigeria last year.
After missing out on the last edition of the World Cup in Qatar, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has tasked Chelle with reaching next year’s tournament.
However, he must hit the ground running given the Super Eagles have failed to win any of their first four games in Group C.
Some in the country are already criticising his appointment, with one student association describing it as “a slap in the face” of homegrown coaches.
One pundit who has followed his career has described Chelle as a “kind, courteous, and polite” man, but also as “a real fighter” and an ambitious coach.
Having reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) with Mali, will he be able to inspire one of the continent’s footballing heavyweights?
Showing ‘fighting spirit’
Most of Eric Chelle’s professional appearances came during his spell with French side Valenciennes between 2003 and 2008
Chelle, born in Ivory Coast to a French father and a Malian mother, spent his entire professional playing career in France, beginning in the lower leagues with Martigues.
The centre-back moved to Valenciennes and helped win two consecutive league titles to reach the top flight in 2006, but then dropped down to the second tier two years later to join Lens.
More success followed as his new club won the title in his debut season, with Chelle named in the Ligue 2 team of the year.
“Eric works with discipline and rigour,” Malian sports journalist Salif Diakite told BBC Sport Africa.
“He has the fighting spirit [and] wants to win all his matches. He aspired to become a football coach.
“He quickly hung up his boots to devote himself to his coaching career. I’m not surprised to see Eric becoming [a] coach.”
Chelle started that path in 2014 as an assistant with GS Consolat (now known as Athletico Marseille), a French amateur club.
He re-joined Martigues as head coach in 2017 before joining Boulogne in May 2021.
However, he was dismissed just seven months later by the third-tier outfit after one win in 10 games.
“Eric is a quiet coach out of the pitch, but on the pitch, he is tough with his players,” Diakite added.
Stepping up with Mali
Mali won their group at the 2023 Afcon finals under Chelle, finishing ahead of South Africa and Tunisia
Despite having only managed in the French lower divisions, Chelle next made the step up to international football.
Mali selected him to take charge in May 2022 – ahead of former Nigeria boss Gernot Rohr and ex-Cameroon coach Winfried Schafer.
Chelle, who also holds French citizenship, had won five caps for Mali between 2004 and 2006 but had never appeared at a major tournament. Yet he felt he was ready to manage his country.
“It is definitely a big challenge and I do like to challenge myself,” he said after joining the Eagles.
Mali certainly impressed in qualifying for the 2023 Afcon, losing just one game and finishing as the second-highest scorers with 13 goals.
Yet, playing at attacking game with a 4-3-3 formation, Chelle could not lead a talented side past the quarter-finals at the tournament itself after a heart-breaking defeat by hosts Ivory Coast.
Mali seemed certain of victory but the Elephants scored a 90th-minute equaliser and then a 122nd-minute winner.
After a slow start in 2026 World Cup qualifying, with one win from their first four games, the Malian Football Federation fired Chelle in June last year.
Diakite says that decision was “badly received” by supporters and a section of the squad.
“Most Malian football fans believed that Eric could do something with Eagles,” he explained.
“[He] had a very good relationship with his players. When he was sacked, some of his players had refused to come to the national team.”
An ‘enormous’ challenge with Nigeria
Nigeria’s Super Eagles last featured at the World Cup finals in 2018 in Russia
Since leaving Mali, Chelle’s only job has been a short and unsuccessful stint with Algerian club MC Oran.
Now comes another big step up to manage three-time continental champions Nigeria, the runners-up at the 2023 Afcon.
Super Eagles fans had expected a high-profile coach to take charge, and Diakite accepts the challenge is “enormous”.
“I understand the feeling of Nigerian football fans,” he said.
“He (Chelle) is a young coach. His record is blank [at] the moment, but he is ambitious.”
Results in the final six rounds of World Cup qualifiers will be crucial in deciding whether Chelle is kept on for the 2025 Afcon, which kicks off in December.
But Diakite suggests patience is required.
“Malian football fans have a lot of admiration for Eric Chelle.
“I hope that he will have the same consideration in Nigeria.”
Chelle may well lead Nigeria at next month’s African Nations Championship, the tournament for domestic-based players.
NFF president Ibrahim Gusau said the new Super Eagles coach would be the one to manage the side – with the aim of “injecting” Nigerian Premier League players into the senior national team.
“Eric used to follow the local league (Mali Premier Division) a lot. We always found a local player in his national team,” Diakite explained.
In order to win over demanding fans and deliver results with the Super Eagles, Chelle will need to draw on all the experience he has gathered so far.
-BBC
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The involvement of GTI Group as a strategic partner of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) might be a recent development, as the partnership was concretised in 2023.
The Group Managing Director of GTI, Abubakar Lawal, has revealed that the planning had been a long one since 2010 and only finalised two years ago.
“It has been a marathon, and we had been planning for it for a long time, and we are working towards a long-lasting relationship that will see the Nigerian league taking a respectable position in global football leagues”, remarked Abubakar Lawal.
His comments supported an earlier presentation by the Executive Director of GTI of Asset Management & Trust Limited, Nelson Ine who in his playing days captained the University of Ibadan to win the gold medal at the Nigerian Universities Games in Calabar in 1990.
Thirty-five years later, Ine is still relevant in Nigerian football as he took a group of sports and business journalists through the journey and the vision of GTI for Nigerian football.
Ine revealed the journey so far in which he reeled out the impact that the company’s partnership with the NFF has achieved. Such include a conducive atmosphere and seamless operation of the Nigerian Premier Football League in the past two seasons.
“There is now discipline and officiating integrity is being established.”
The partnership has also enabled improved live broadcast of matches even to global audiences.
Ine revealed that there was an initial take-off fund of N400 million for the 20 teams in the elite league for the seasons of 2022/23 and 2023/24.
Enyimba as the first champions in the GTI era got 100 million naira while in the following season, the purse improved to 150 million when Enugu Rangers were crowned the champions.
“With that, we aim to elevate the league to a level where all elite clubs are transitioned to private ownership and management, thereby creating investable and tradable assets that can attract significant investment from local and foreign investors”, remarked Ine.
He explained that the vision of GTI is to see Nigerian clubs grow to become business centres driven by effective and efficient administrative management as have in Europe.
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Nigerian Football
Saint Finbarr’s College Old Boys’ Association honours former national team player, Paul Okoku
Paul Okoku, a 1984 AFCON silver medal winner and a member of Nigeria’s first team that ever qualified for a FIFA championship has been honoured by Saint Finbarr’s College Old Boys’ Association (SFCOBA).
In his school days, he also featured for Saint Finbarr’s College which was one of the powerhouses of school football in Lagos.
The conferment of honour was announced by a Nollywood veteran actor, Patrick Doyle who is the president of the St. Finbarr’s College Old Boys’ Association (SFCOBA).
Okoku, whose class of Flying Eagles was the first Nigerian team to qualify for a FIFA championship, the then World Youth Championship (now U-20 World Cup) in Mexico, in 1983.
The team was also the first Nigeria side to win a match at a FIFA event when they shocked the then-Soviet Union 1-0.
Okoku was bestowed with the Distinguished Conquerors’ (DC) Award for his contribution to Nigerian sports generally and also for elevating the name of his alma mater.
The event took place in Arlington, Virginia, United States of America, celebrating Okoku’s enduring legacy and commitment to the institution, association and community.
Doyle flew in from Nigeria for the occasion which served as a platform for the association members to raise funds for the support of Finbarr’s scholarships, buildings, renovations and other projects.
“The Conquerors. Distinguished Conqueror Award presented to Paul Lucky Okoku, in recognition of your benevolence and outstanding support for the development and transformation of Saint Fibarr’s College Akoka, Lagos and raising the profile and effectiveness of SFCOBA,” the award plaque read.
Paul Okoku was not only a celebrated ex-international footballer and philanthropist but was also honoured with a certificate of recognition in 2019, presented by Nathaniel Ogedegbe, the President of the St. Finbarr’s College Old Boys’ Association North America (SFCOBA).
This recognition acknowledged Okoku as one of the founding members of SFCOBA North America, a testament to his role in fostering unity and development among alumni.
Today, SFCOBA North America continues to flourish, honouring the legacy of St. Finbarr’s College by fostering unity among its members and spearheading impactful initiatives to support the institution’s growth and development.
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President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau on Wednesday morning paid a visit to the Abuja home of the First Vice President of NFF, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, whose family was attacked by armed robbers some hours earlier.
During the visit, Gusau prayed for a quick return to good health for Anyansi-Agwu, who was injured in the attack, and for the entire Anyansi-Agwu family. He also thanked God that no life was lost in the attack.
“The NFF President has been to the house of Chief Anyansi-Agwu. I will also be going to his house shortly to empathise with him and his family.
“This is an unwholesome incident and the Executive Committee, Management and Staff of NFF feel the stress of the Anyansi-Agwu family at this period,” NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said.
Thenff.com learnt that armed men invaded the Gwarinpa Estate home of former Enyimba FC chairman, Anyansi-Agwu in the early hours of Tuesday, 8th January 2025 and ransacked the entire house.
They inflicted injuries on Anyansi-Agwu and carted away one of his cars, as well as mobile phones, cash and other items worth several millions of naira.
Anyansi-Agwu is presently receiving treatment at an undisclosed location in the Federal Capital.
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