Sports
NFF Hands Coach Chelle Improved Deal, Expands Role to Olympic Team
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has agreed a new and improved contract with Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, with a fresh mandate that also puts him in charge of the country’s Olympic football team.
The announcement was made in Abuja by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mr Shehu Dikko, who said the decision was part of long-term planning aimed at avoiding past errors in the national team structure.
Under the new arrangement, Mr Chelle’s hand-picked assistants will now be fully paid by the football federation, unlike before when the coach personally handled their remuneration.
The former Mali coach, who took charge of Nigeria in January 2025 on an initial two-year deal with an optional extension, will now oversee both the Super Eagles and the U23 side, ensuring a unified technical direction across age groups.
Mr Dikko said the move was necessary to build continuity and avoid disjointed development between the youth and senior teams.
“We have the next AFCON (2027), the next World Cup (2030), we have to start preparing now,” he said. “We have to ensure that all the mistakes we suffered do not happen again, learn from our mistakes and make things better. We have to put the building blocks and foundation for the future.”
He also explained the rationale behind placing the Olympic team under Mr Chelle’s control, saying it would ensure consistency in philosophy and player development.
“He will take care of the U23s so that we don’t have different ideas from the U23s to the Super Eagles,” Mr Dikko added.
Mr Chelle, who initially came in with the task of qualifying Nigeria for the ongoing 2026 World Cup, failed to achieve that target after the Super Eagles lost in the African playoffs to DR Congo.
However, he was able to deliver another bronze medal at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) held earlier in Morocco.
The Nigerian national team coach will be looking to consolidate this with a delivery of the 2027 tournament to be held in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as ensure qualification for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
