Former Super Eagles and Esperance winger, Garba Lawal, has backed Eric Chelle to lead Nigeria to a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup while pleading for patience with the new manager, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed Eric Chelle as the official coach of the Super Eagles five days ago and immediately tasked the former Mali coach with leading Nigeria to football’s biggest tournament.
The Super Eagles have been poor in their qualifiers, without a win from four games, and are desperate for a change of results. Garba, who won the Olympic gold medal in 1996, urged Nigerians to be patient with their new manager, although he backed Chelle to succeed.
“There is no room for complacency. This is not about the NFF; it’s about Nigeria qualifying for the World Cup. Everyone must support the team. Even if Mourinho or Ancelotti took this job, they would still feel the pressure.
Our situation can make the coach to be afraid, but for him to be bold enough to take the job, it is something different. It’s not every coach that will take this type of job. It takes courage to take on a role like this, given the current circumstances,” the 50-year-old said in an interview with Brila.
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The Super Eagles currently sit in fifth place in their group with three points from four matches. Chelle kick-starts his journey with a trip to the Republic of Rwanda on the 19th of March. They take on Zimbabwe three days later.
Eric Chelle is Nigeria’s first official head coach since Finidi George resigned in July 2024 amidst news that Nigeria Football Federation were looking for a foreign-based coach after the Super Eagles lost to the Republic of Benin.