Eric Chelle’s first Super Eagles mission set for CHAN 2024 preparations in Ikenne

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has outlined Eric Sékou Chelle’s immediate assignment as the newly appointed head coach of the Super Eagles, Soccernet.football reports.

Chelle, who was unveiled as the 37th head coach of the Nigerian national team at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, will immediately assume a supervisory role with the home-based Super Eagles ahead of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

The tournament, which Nigeria has never won, will be co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

“The first task for Eric Chelle is to depart Abuja for Ikenne Remo in Ogun State, where the home-based Eagles are currently camping,” Gusau stated during the unveiling ceremony. “He will take on a supervisory role as he gets familiar with the players, working closely with the coaches to oversee the team’s activities.”

The home-based Super Eagles, managed by Remo Stars coach Daniel Ogunmodede and Rangers FC boss Fidelis Ilechukwu, earned their CHAN spot by defeating Ghana in the playoffs last December. Nigeria’s best performance in the competition came in 2018 when they finished as runners-up.

Although Chelle’s involvement in CHAN preparations is crucial, his primary responsibility remains guiding Nigeria to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Super Eagles currently sit fifth in their qualification group, trailing Rwanda, South Africa, Benin, and Lesotho, with only the group winners guaranteed a spot at the Mundial.

Chelle brings valuable experience to his role, having managed lower league clubs in France and the Malian national team.

The 47-year-old is known for guiding Mali to an impressive run at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they advanced from a group featuring South Africa and Tunisia and narrowly missed out on the semifinals following a dramatic quarterfinal loss to hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

Chelle’s backroom staff includes assistant coach Hadi Taboubi, physical trainer Thomas Gornourec, and goalkeeper coach Jean Daniel Padovani. Before joining Nigeria, he managed Algerian side MC Oran, where his record stood at five wins, two draws, and five losses from 12 games.