Super Eagles' flock has a new leader

It will take time for the situation around the Nigeria national team to stabilize, but most importantly, the process has started. The 2023 AFCON runners-up announced the appointment of the new head coach, the Malian strategist Eric Chelle.

This way, the Super Eagles will finally get a proper coach, as the role has so far been performed by the interim manager Augustine Eguaoven since June and Finidi George's departure. Chelle thus became the fourth Nigeria boss since the beginning of 2024, as the Portuguese Jose Peseiro started the year on the bench.

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Last August, the German Bruno Labbadia was on the verge of becoming the African side's boss, but the deal eventually fell through over a tax dispute.

As for Chelle, he spent his entire playing career in France, leaving the biggest mark at Martigues, Valenciennes and Lens. In his managerial career, the 47-year-old tactician led Boulogne and Mali national team, among others, while his last spell was with the Algerian side Oran.

Chelle's most significant success was reaching the quarter-finals of the 2023 AFCON with the Eagles, where his crew was "tragically" eliminated by the hosts Ivory Coast 2-1, conceding in the dying minutes of the regular and extra time.

The Super Eagles, led by Eguaoven, qualified for the 2025 AFCON from the Group D top spot but seriously struggled in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, as they currently sit in the penultimate place in their group, having won only three points in four matches they played.