Nigeria has named former Mali coach Éric Sékou Chelle as the new manager of the Super Eagles – the Nigerian national men’s football team.
Sékou Chelle, from Mali, will be the Super Eagles’ first non-Nigerian African coach.
A statement from Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) communications director Ademola Olajire said: “The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has endorsed the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee for the appointment of Mr Éric Sékou Chelle as head coach of Nigeria’s senior men national football team, Super Eagles.
“His appointment is with immediate effect, and he has the responsibility of guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, with the next round of matches [Matchdays 5 and 6] taking place in March.“
About Éric Sékou Chelle
Born in Ivory Coast to a French father and a Malian mother, Sékou Chelle holds three nationalities — Mali, Ivory Coast and France — and played the majority of his career in France, where he featured for FC Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres and Chamois Niortais.
He represented Mali internationally, making five appearances for the national team.
NFF appoints Éric Chelle as Head Coach of the Super Eagles pic.twitter.com/f3riZUo1f9
— The NFF 🇳🇬 (@thenff) January 7, 2025
In 2022, he was appointed Mali’s head coach and he led them to within a minute of reaching the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations. At other times he has also coached FC Martigues, Boulogne, GS Consolat and MC Oran.
The 47-year-old came to the attention of Nigerian football fans last year when he led Mali to their first victory over the Super Eagles in 50 years of contests between the sides.
His Mali side defeated Finidi George’s Eagles 2-0 in a friendly in March 2024.
His wards led hosts and eventual winners Ivory Coast for most of the game before conceding an equaliser in the last minute of regulation time and eventually losing 2-1 after extra time.
Sékou Chelle was fired by Mali in June 2024, days after they were held to a goalless draw by 10-man Madagascar in a Group I World Cup qualifier in Johannesburg.
Arriving Nigeria Soon
The newly appointed Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, will arrive in Nigeria on Sunday, January 12, 2025, accompanied by three trusted assistants.
His assistants were with him when he headed the Mali national team and during his most recent appointment at the top Algerian club MC Oran.
Chelle now has the onerous task of qualifying Nigeria for the 2026 World Cup after a difficult start in the qualifying campaign.
Nigeria is second from bottom of their qualifying group with three points from four matches, four points adrift of frontrunners Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin.
According to NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, he will also head the technical crew of the CHAN Eagles for next month’s CHAN in East Africa.
Therefore, the new coach will hit the ground running, joining the CHAN Eagles in training camp in Ikenne immediately after completing his contract signing formalities.
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