The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of French-Malian tactician, Éric Sékou Chelle as the new Super Eagles head coach.
With his appointment, Chelle becomes the first non-Nigerian African to lead the Nigerian men’s senior national team.
Below are quick facts about the 47-year-old manager:
- Chelle was born in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire to a French father and a Malian mother.
- He was capped five times for the Malian national team, playing as a centre-back.
- Chelle spent his entire club career in France, playing for Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais between 1998 and 2014.
- As a manager, Chelle led Les Aiglons of Mali to the quarterfinals at AFCON 2023, losing to hosts and eventual winners, Côte d’Ivoire. Incidentally, Côte d’Ivoire defeated the Super Eagles 2-1 in the final.
- Before becoming head coach of the Malian national team, Chelle managed several teams in the lower tiers of French football, including GS Consolat, FC Martigues, and Boulogne.
- Chelle has a 44 per cent win rate as a manager, winning 70 out of 159 matches, including 13 wins and three losses in 21 games with Mali, and was sacked by Les Aiglons in June 2024 as the team placed fourth in the Group I table of the 2026 World Cup qualification ranks.
- His appointment as Super Eagles head coach drew criticism from many fans who dubbed him “a French Ligue 2 veteran”.
The Sun
