The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Eric Chelle as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.
Nigeria’s football governing body disclosed that its Technical and Development Sub-Committee recommended Chelle during a meeting on Thursday, January 2, while the recommendation was approved by its Executive Committee today.
“The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has endorsed the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee for the appointment of Mr. Éric Sékou Chelle as Head Coach of Nigeria’s senior men national football team, Super Eagles.
“At its meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, 2nd January 2025, the NFF Technical and Development Sub-Committee had recommended the appointment of former Coach of the senior men national team of Mali as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles. This recommendation was on Tuesday, 7th January endorsed by the NFF Executive Committee,” NFF stated.
Chelle, who won five (5) caps for Mali and managed different clubs including GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne and MC Oran, has been the Head Coach of Mali since 2022 until he was sacked two years later.
He led Mali to a quarter-final place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), losing 2-1 to the hosts and eventual champions, Cote d’Ivoire after extra-time.
The 47-year-old spent his playing career in France representing Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres and Chamois Niortais respectively.
“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 added.
