Revisiting Éric Chelle’s appointment by Nigeria

The engagement of Éric Chelle as coach of Nigeria’s national football team has ignited discussions about his dormant sway on the team’s success.

Chelle became Super Eagles’ nascent non-native African coach upon hiring by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), thereby establishing a notable life event.

Fans initially reaction to the announcement of his employment was marked with disbelief and doubt. Believing it was a presage for events ahead, Super Eagles faithfuls could only come to terms with their federation’s decision for the Super Eagles with reservation.

Despite  the team’s new coach’s low-key managerial background, NFF said they based their decision to hire the Malian for his qualities for being a highly driven and unswerving to achieve coach.

Chelle’s football philosophy is also known to highlight the preference  for constructive football, another quality that could evoke a positive response with the current Nigeria national team setup.

The collective outlook for hiring Chelle is enshrined in the Malian’s adroitness to inspire and strategize his adjustments during games. The hope is that these qualities would galvanize the desired reawakening in the current lackadaisical Super Eagles’ future performances.

Nigeria is presently encumbering major oppositions in World Cup qualifying play. Super Eagles is with a win in six 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying games, with four draws and a loss.

The team has scored only seven goals while letting in six, collectively placing them in fourth place in Group C of the CAF African World Cup qualification rounds.

Therefore, the Super Eagles is not presently proficient in attack, lacks imagination and compactness in the team’s midpoint, is definitively jangled and abysmally less formidable in its rear formation. Nigeria’s men senior side of today is just a disorganized bunch with poor disposition and marginal productivity.

Group C

POS		TEAM	MP	WON	DRAWN	LOST	GF	GA	PTS
1		South Africa	6	4	1	1	10	5	13
2		Rwanda	6	2	2	2	4	4	8
3		Benin	6	2	2	2	6	7	8
4		Nigeria	6	1	4	1	7	6	7
5		Lesotho	6	1	3	2	4	5	6
6		Zimbabwe	6	0	4	2	5	9	4

They do not elicit fear from opponents anymore and are six points adrift from group leaders, South Africa in a group where Rwanda and Benin Republic are atop them and Lesotho is just a point behind.

The Super Eagles could not even defeat Zimbabwe, the bottom team of  the group despite hosting The Warriors in Uyo in their last outing in the series. Nigeria currently face a shameful elimination from world cup qualification, an occurrence that would be quite scandalous whenever it happens.

That eventuality is largely anticipated at the next rounds of games in the qualifiers in September when Nigeria takes on Rwanda at home before facing South Africa away few days later.

Whimsical showing and unproductive guidance are to blame for the Nigeria’s ding-dong showing in World Cup qualifying play. The quality of coaching has been fingered in Super Eagles’ current dip in form. So too has administrative ineptitude been cited.

Notwithstanding Nigeria’s star loaded national football side that features high profile footballers from major European leagues, yet scoring goals continue to be a problem for the Super Eagles. Defending same even against teams that are on paper, seen to be lesser equals, has been daunting.

Chelle’s physicality and tough-love coaching repertoire are the chief backing for his hiring. It’s hoped these latency may help liberate Nigeria players’ current goal scoring inhibition, toughen, and sharpen the team’s cutting edge in midfield, defense, and attack.

Past landmarks which attest that famous gaffers usually flaunt average playing careers, also fell for Chelle’s consideration for the job. He is seen as very hungry for success. It’s These qualities drove his new employers in their selection. It signifies a gamble by the NFF that Chelle could still emerge a top coach with  the Super Eagles if and only if his inherent qualities mesh with his players’ potentials. So far, that has not been the case.

The mindset informing the choice of the former Les Aigles (The Eagles) of Mali’s manager by the NFF is that Chelle and the Super Eagles would draw strengths from each other to flourish.

However conventional wisdom suggests that the lasting bad coaching conditions now hampering Nigeria’s senior national team’s fortunes is due to years of similar wayward gambles that have stubbornly failed to payoff. Past mismanagement by the country’s federation has been blamed for the current dwindling performance of the national team.

Super Eagles’ latest struggles are no thanks to the poor decisions of the NFF, a body  that has faced opprobrium for its style of employing coaches and managing the national team. NFF’s search for a “world-class coach” has been perennially constrained by cunctation in action and pecuniary impediments.

Since the dismissal of Gernot Rohr in December 2021, NFF has rummaged through the services of José Peseiro (Portugal) – 2022–2024, Finidi George (Nigeria) – 2024, Bruno Labbadia (Germany) – 2024, and Chelle – President. Before each audition for its employments, NFF announced their intention as the mission to get onboard a world class coach for the Super Eagles.

When all is said and done, the eventual selection has always been no where near world class. Mostly, the least qualified of the listed coaches have always emerged top pick.

Former winger Finidi George was not even among the listed coaches that were interviewed before he was hired. Yet he was hired as a frugal recourse following José Peseiro’s resignation, regardless of his employers’ numerous demonstration of a public lack of confidence in his abilities.

The Federation’s rudderless leadership has over the years, fawned a sense of inefficiency in directing the Super Eagles. Their present calculations in hiring Chelle, a Comme-ci comme-ça ca foreman,  to lead one of the most successful senior national sides of the continent, is just mind blowing.

NFF the utopian gambler, whose survival rests only on the mercy of chance can but throw another crap. The side on which the dice rests, is out of their control. It is down to luck and luck alone. But who cares? This is the only way the Nigeria Federation know to escape their reality of paucity of vision and nous.

The NFF has speculated on yet another cheap coach in hiring Chelle. Will their current risk-taking payoff or will the continuing gaffe remain the same? September is just a month away. Time will tell.

It remains to be seen if Chelle will still be around before the next African Cup of Nations (AFCON) championship, or NFF will ensue on another wild goose chase for a phony world class coach.