Former Nigeria international Peter Ijeh has questioned the Nigeria Football Federation’s, NFF persistent preference for foreign coaches to lead the Super Eagles, calling it a disservice to local coaches.
The NFF recently appointed Frenchman Éric Chelle as the new head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team, following a recommendation from its Technical and Development Committee.
Chelle is the second coach to take charge since the exit of Portuguese tactician José Peseiro.
After Peseiro’s departure, Super Eagles legend Finidi George briefly held the role, managing just two games before resigning.
Speaking in an interview with Brila.net, Ijeh expressed his disappointment with the NFF’s continued neglect of Nigerian coaches, urging the Federation to invest in their development.
“It has been like that for a while. Over the last decade, the NFF has consistently handed the position to foreign-based coaches, which is a disservice to Nigerian coaches.
It’s not that Nigeria lacks qualified coaches, but they need an environment where they can work freely. A system needs to be set up to promote and develop our own. If we don’t promote ours, who will?”
The NFF has stated that Chelle, 47, and his assistants will begin their tenure by leading the Super Eagles B team at next month’s African Nations Championship across Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
Afterward, the focus will shift to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with matches against Rwanda (away) and Zimbabwe (home) scheduled for March.
