By Olaitan Ibrahim
The Nigerian Football Federation, NFF has appointed Éric Chelle a former Coach of the senior men national team of Mali as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles.
The NFF said in a State on Tuesday that the appointment of Chelle was recommended at its meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, 2nd January 2025 by by its Technical and Development Sub-Committee had recommended the .
“His appointment is with immediate effect, and he has the responsibility of guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, with the next round of matches (Matchdays 5 & 6) taking place in March,” NFF said of the immediate task of the new Super Eagles Head Coach.
According to the statement, Chelle, won five caps for the Aiglons of Mali and coached clubs such as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne and MC Oran, has been Head Coach of the Aiglons since 2022.
At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cote d’Ivoire, Chelle’s Mali came very close to a place in the semi-finals, losing to hosts and eventual winners Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 after extra time, after leading by a lone goal until the final minute of regulation time.
The 47-year-old featured for Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres and Chamois Niortais in France during his playing career.