Jose Peseiro was the first Portuguese to handle the Nigerian national team, and another milestone will be reached this Monday, January 13, as Éric Chelle climbs the saddle as the 42nd person to handle the Nigerian national team since September 1949 when England’s John Finch became the ad hoc coach of Nigeria’s first national selection.
Chelle, 47, will be the first-ever non-Nigerian African to handle the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles. He is a Malian, although still qualifies to hold citizenship of France where his father comes from and where he played his club football, he could also be an Ivoirian, as he was born in Cote d’Ivoire.
Although it has become conventional for football powers to hand over their national teams to citizens, there has been a paradigm shift.
Even conservative England, with a long tradition as a football nation, is having its third foreign manager after the Swedish Sven-Göran Eriksson, Italian Fabio Capello and now Germany’s Thomas Tuchel.
Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi similarly coached Togo and Mali and was on the verge of getting a job as Guinea’s manager when he died.
According to a media release by the NFF, Éric Sékou Chelle will be formally unveiled to the public at the Media Conference Room of the MKO Abiola National Stadium, by 11 am.
NFF boss, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, reportedly remarked on Sunday that the Franco-Malian coach embodies the fresh energy, new thinking and positive attitude with which the Federation desire the Super Eagles to confront their remaining six matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
“We appreciate the fact that Nigerians are very passionate about the game of football, and that is the reason for the different tones of reactions following the appointment of Coach Chelle.
“However, the NFF hereby appeals to Nigerians to come together and support him, as we believe he has the qualities to achieve success with the Super Eagles.
“The NFF will give him all the support that he needs to succeed in the job.”
At Monday’s unveiling, the NFF will also disclose the names of Coach Chelle’s assistants, with the crew to shepherd the Super Eagles B at next month’s African Nations Championship in East Africa, before focusing squarely on the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, beginning with the matches against Rwanda (away) and Zimbabwe (home) in March.
Chelle, who took Mali’s Aiglons within breathing distance of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, left his job at top Algerian side, Mouloudia Club of Oran (MC Oran) – 1989 African Champions’ Cup finalists – to team up with the Super Eagles.
