‘The Pitch Was Bad’ – Eric Chelle Reveals Why Super Eagles Crashed

Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle has pointed to the poor pitch and difficult weather conditions as major factors behind Nigeria’s heavy 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau.

The loss was a major setback for the Super Eagles, who were outplayed by the Wild Dogs and struggled to find a response after falling behind.

Chelle admitted that Guinea-Bissau showed greater determination and intensity throughout the game, while Nigeria failed to find a solution to the problems presented by their opponents.

“More intensity more aggressive and we never found a solution, this is not the end we still have a lot of games to play again."

"We have to win against Tanzania in November and Guinea Bissau will come to Uyo and put them in the same conditions”.

Chelle Blames Poor Pitch and Weather

The Franco-Malian coach also highlighted the playing conditions, saying the state of the pitch and the weather made things difficult for the Super Eagles.

“The pitch was very very bad."

"The condition of the weather was very bad to and Guinea Bissau turned the game.”

Despite the defeat, Chelle believes Nigeria can still recover from the setback and continue their campaign.

His immediate message to the Super Eagles is that they must respond in their next fixtures, particularly when Tanzania arrive in November and when Guinea-Bissau travel to Uyo.

Eric Chelle’s 12-Match Unbeaten Run Ends

The defeat also brought an end to Chelle’s impressive unbeaten run in regulation time with the Super Eagles.

Before the 3-0 loss, Nigeria had gone 12 matches without defeat in regulation time under the coach, stretching from March 2025.

Chelle’s run included six wins and six draws, although two of those draws ended in penalty shootout defeats.

The 12 matches were:

1. March 21, 2025 – Rwanda 0-2 Nigeria

(World Cup Qualifier – Win)

1. March 25, 2025 – Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe

(World Cup Qualifier – Draw)

1. May 28, 2025 – Nigeria 2-1 Ghana

(Unity Cup, London – Win)

1. May 31, 2025 – Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria

(Unity Cup Final – Draw, Nigeria won 5-4 on penalties)

1. June 6, 2025 – Russia 1-1 Nigeria

(International Friendly, Moscow – Draw)

1. September 6, 2025 – Nigeria 1-0 Rwanda

(World Cup Qualifier – Win)

1. September 9, 2025 – South Africa 1-1 Nigeria

(World Cup Qualifier, Bloemfontein – Draw)

1. October 10, 2025 – Lesotho 1-2 Nigeria

(World Cup Qualifier – Win)

1. October 14, 2025 – Nigeria 4-0 Benin

(World Cup Qualifier – Win)

1. November 13, 2025 – Gabon 1-4 Nigeria

(World Cup Playoff – Win)

1. November 16, 2025 – DR Congo 1-1 Nigeria

(World Cup Playoff Final – Draw, Nigeria lost 3-4 on penalties)

1. December 23, 2025 – Nigeria 2-1 Tanzania

(AFCON Morocco – Win)

The Guinea-Bissau defeat therefore represents Chelle’s first regulation-time loss in that run.

Chelle’s New Contract Under Fresh Scrutiny

The defeat has also intensified attention around Chelle’s new contract with the Nigeria Football Federation.

Chelle was appointed on January 7, 2025, on a two-year contract reportedly worth $50,000 per month. Under the original arrangement, he was also responsible for paying his assistants from his salary.

In January 2026, Chelle submitted a 19-point proposal to the NFF requesting a new package of $130,000 per month, which was intended to cover both himself and his technical crew.

His proposal also included a furnished house in Abuja.

By August 2026, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau and the Executive Committee had reached a verbal agreement with the coach.

Under the revised arrangement, the NFF agreed to take responsibility for paying Chelle’s assistants, allowing the coach to reduce his salary demand.

His new salary was reportedly increased to $75,000 per month, representing a 50 per cent rise from his previous $50,000 monthly package.

The revised contract is said to run from June 1, 2026, until August 2028.

The new deal has attracted criticism from some Super Eagles supporters, particularly after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and have now suffered a heavy defeat to Guinea-Bissau.

Super Eagles Must Respond Against Russia

Nigeria will have an opportunity to respond when they face Russia in an international friendly next month.

The Super Eagles are scheduled to take on Russia on October 6 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, with kick-off set for 5pm.

Chelle will be looking for a reaction from his players after the disappointing defeat, with Nigeria also expected to face Tanzania in November before Guinea-Bissau travel to Uyo.

For the Super Eagles, the challenge now is to turn Chelle’s call for a response into results on the pitch.