Former Nigerian international, Ifeanyi Udeze, has criticized the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF for appointing Eric Chelle as the Super Eagles head coach, claiming the Malian tactician accepted the role solely to boost his resume.
The NFF announced Chelle’s appointment on Tuesday evening, filling the position that had been vacant since June 2024.
Speaking on Brila FM’s No Holds Barred, Udeze expressed his frustration, stating that Augustine Eguavoen, the interim coach who led the team to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, has a better track record than Chelle.
“A coach Mali sacked for a poor run in the World Cup qualifiers, does he deserve this job?” Udeze questioned.
“The most annoying thing is that Augustine Eguavoen, who was our interim coach, has a better CV than this Eric Chelle. On what grounds was Chelle employed?
He took the job to enhance his CV. He doesn’t care whether we qualify for the World Cup or not. That’s the only reason he accepted the job.”
Chelle, who was dismissed as Mali’s head coach after failing to win games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, now faces the task of leading the Super Eagles in the remaining qualifiers.
While opinions remain divided on his appointment, the spotlight is firmly on Chelle to prove his critics wrong as Nigeria aims to secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup.
