“Biggest joke of the year’ – NFF dismisses reports of Eric Chelle considering Super Eagles exit

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has strongly refuted reports suggesting that Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, is considering stepping down from his role, Footynaija.com reports.

The speculation emerged after Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwana claimed that Chelle was contemplating leaving due to uncertainty surrounding his future beyond the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Obayiuwana stated: “Eric Chelle is considering terminating his contract as Super Eagles manager. Sources within the NFF say that uncertainty over his fate beyond the FIFA World Cup qualifying series has led to a dramatic change of heart. The NFF will hold a crisis meeting to address the matter.”

15,000 views and quite a few #AprilFoolsDay victims in the bag. https://t.co/iMuzsivUMG

— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) April 1, 2025

However, NFF Media Director, Ademola Olajire, swiftly dismissed the claims, branding them baseless.

“That story must be the biggest joke of the year. I don’t know where the writer got the story. He could be playing pranks on April Fool’s Day, but there is no truth in it,” Olajire told the Guardian.

Chelle, who took charge in January, has only overseen two matches so far, guiding Nigeria to a 2-0 win over Rwanda in Kigali before a frustrating 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe in Uyo.

The Super Eagles currently sit fourth in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers, with seven points from six matches—trailing group leaders South Africa, who have 13 points. Rwanda and Benin Republic occupy second and third place with eight points each.

Chelle remains focused on strengthening his squad ahead of the next qualifying fixtures in September. He is currently in Europe scouting Nigerian players and attempting to persuade dual-national stars to commit to the Super Eagles. One key target is Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri, the highly-rated 17-year-old midfielder who remains eligible for both Nigeria and England.

Nigeria will host Rwanda in Uyo before traveling to South Africa for what could be a decisive clash in their World Cup qualifying campaign.