The future of Eric Chelle as Super Eagles manager has become a heated topic, with fresh calls for the Nigeria Football Federation to decide on his contract, Footynaija.com reports.
The Franco-Malian coach, who stepped in earlier this year, has faced mixed results in the World Cup qualifying campaign, leaving many fans divided over his leadership.
Since taking charge, Chelle has been tasked with bringing direction to a team that struggled for consistency. Nigeria’s push for a World Cup ticket remains uncertain, and the pressure has only grown as critics, including some ex-internationals, continue to question his tactical choices and player selection.
But not everyone believes removing him now would be the right move. Nigerian sports journalist Arinzechi Chukwunonso told Legit.ng that Chelle has given the national team much-needed stability within a short period.
He argued that the NFF would only set the Super Eagles back if they pulled the plug too soon.
“Eric Chelle is a good manager and the best thing for the Nigeria Football Federation to do is allow him to continue,” Chukwunonso said in the report.
He warned that sacking Chelle at this stage would undo the little progress made and plunge the team into another round of confusion, especially with the Africa Cup of Nations fast approaching.
“If Chelle gets sacked, we are going to struggle again and start all over from scratch. We should not forget that the AFCON is coming up in December,” he added.
The debate over Chelle’s future comes at a time when Nigerian football voices have been loud on the state of the team.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni recently questioned the lack of creativity in midfield, while former captain Sunday Oliseh went as far as saying Chelle should be replaced if the Super Eagles hope to turn around their World Cup hopes.