Key things you should know about Éric Chelle, Super Eagles New Coach

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Eric Chelle as the new head coach of the Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team, Super Eagles, becoming the third person to take charge of the Super Eagles since the resignation of José Peseiro in March 2024.

The NFF announced the appointment of the Malian tactician in a statement on Tuesday. The 47-year-old was recommended for the job by the NFF technical and development sub-committee on January 2.

Here are key things you should know about Eric Chelle:

1. He was born on November 11, 1977, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Chelle holds Malian citizenship. and was raised in France by his French father and Malian mother. He is fluent in French, English, and several African languages.
   
2. During his playing days, he was a central defender. Chelle featured prominently in French football, representing clubs like Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais.
   He earned five caps for the Malian national team between 2004 and 2006.
   
3. Chelle transitioned into coaching, where he was appointed head coach of the Mali national team in May 2022, guiding them to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, a competition in which the Super Eagles, led by Jose Peseiro came second. He managed clubs such as GS Consolat (France amateur league), FC Martigues (Ligue 2), Boulogne (Championnat National), and MC Oran (Algerian Ligue), which spans from 2017 to 2022.

4.His journey with the Malian national team ended when he was dismissed by Mali’s football body in June 2024, gathering two years of experience as a national coach.

Notable Eric Chelle’s Achievements

His highest achievement as a national team coach is taking the Mali national team to the quarter-finals of the AFCON in 2023. Chelle boasts a career record of 67 wins, 40 draws, and 41 losses, resulting in a win percentage of 45.27%.

Éric Chelle is the first-ever non-Nigerian African to be named the head coach of the Eagles.
Chelle’s appointment takes effect immediately, and he is responsible for guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.

The Malian’s first task will be the next round of games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March. Nigeria are currently fifth in Group C of the qualifier. The team is also winless after four games.