The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, has expressed strong support for the newly appointed head coach of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, emphasizing his potential to make a significant impact on the team.
Eric Chelle’s appointment, sealed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on January 7, was met with a mixture of skepticism and resistance from Nigerian football fans and analysts alike, who have raised concerns about his qualifications and suitability for the high-pressure role.
Chelle, who is 47 years old, was officially unveiled to the media and public in a ceremony held in Abuja on Monday, marking the beginning of his tenure.
Despite the backlash surrounding his selection, Dikko remains optimistic, asserting that Chelle’s extensive experience in African football will be invaluable as the Super Eagles prepare for a crucial period of competition.
“We have a World Cup qualifier that is very dicey, very critical. We have three windows to play the qualifiers; there is no window for a friendly match, and there is no window for a test match, and we are playing, for goodness sake, African countries—we are playing Zimbabwe, Rwanda, South Africa, Lesotho, and Benin. Those are co-African countries,” Dikko told Channels Television.
“So, the only person that can come at this moment if we want to get somebody that can bring fresh thinking to the team and lead the team is somebody with the experience of African football, and this coach, you should judge him with the work he has done with the national team. Forget about the club; club football is different; the national team is different.”
Note that before taking up his position with the Super Eagles, Chelle was previously contracted to Algerian club MC Oran. Additionally, he had a significant role in managing the Mali national team during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in Côte d’Ivoire, experiences that Dikko believes will serve him well in his new role.