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Former Nigerian international, Ifeanyi Udeze, has expressed his displeasure over the appointment of Malian tactician, Eric Chelle as the head coach of the Super Eagles, asserting that, the Ivory Coast born accepted the job to better his professional record.
Udeze, who was capped 35 times for the Super Eagles, criticized the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF for appointing Eric Chelle whose resume is not as rich as most of the Nigerian coaches.
The NFF announced Chelle’s appointment on Tuesday evening, filling the position that had been vacant since June 2024 following the departure of ex-Super Eagle, Finidi George.
The position was temporarily held by former Nigeria defender and experienced coach, Augustine Eguavoen who has steered the three time African Champions to the next Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Speaking on Brila FM, Udeze expressed his frustration, stating that Augustine Eguavoen has a better track record than Chelle. “A coach Mali sacked for a poor run in the World Cup qualifiers, does he deserve this job?” Udeze questioned.
“The most annoying thing is that Augustine Eguavoen, who was our interim coach, has a better CV than this Eric Chelle. On what grounds was Chelle employed?
“He took the job to enhance his CV. He doesn’t care whether we qualify for the World Cup or not. That’s the only reason he accepted the job.”
Chelle, who was dismissed as Mali’s head coach after failing to win games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, now faces the task of leading the Super Eagles in the remaining qualifiers.
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