This is a belated congratulatory message going out to Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Sekou Chelle. I write my congrats to him, not just because he won bronze for Nigeria at the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, but mostly due to how he weathered the storm of criticism that trailed his advent into the Eagles’ saddle.
I will not deny the fact that I was among his most vehement critics, who tackled him viciously, not because of his credentials but due to prejudice and bias.
Yes, the argument that I gave (rightfully so) was that the Super Eagles should not be handled by any coach from another African country, because Nigeria’s football pedigree is better than what many other nations across the continent have achieved in the round leather game.
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For me, Nigerian coaches can handle the national teams of Gambia, Kenya, Mali and Tanzania – not vice versa – because our track record in the round leather game across the continent (as well as the world) is better than theirs.
That line of thought made me antagonise Chelle from the outset, especially as I felt he had come to usurp what ought to have been given an indigenous Nigerian tactician (especially Emmanuel Amuneke). I still hold that view tenaciously, but that does not mean I won’t recognise that Chelle ended up performing wonderfully with the Super Eagles.
An uncanny fact that stands him out is that, after a year on the job, he is yet to lose an official match within normal game time. The losses to DR Congo and Morocco were via penalties, while the 2-1 slump against Egypt before the Nations Cup was an unofficial ‘training game.’ So, Chelle is a winning coach!
However, as I stated earlier, his success goes beyond what he has achieved on the field of play. I won’t celebrate him for winning AFCON bronze, because three of our coaches have done it before, while another won silver and one even got gold.
For me, the real deal worth celebrating about Chelle is his attitude; and three things stand him out in that regard – reactions to criticism, comments during press conferences and relations with his players.
You can ever discountenance lofty comments about a person when correlative views in that direction flow from many mouths within a short period of time. So, for several of the Eagles’ players to repeatedly say they like and admire their coach means there’s something great he’s doing among them that makes him stand out.
On his part, Chelle automatically reciprocates the love expressed for him by his players, as he would always thank them for adapting to his ‘philosophy’ and for going all out to play according to his instructions. He never forgets to commend his players during each and every media conference.
Why then won’t his players go all out to get good results for him? So, he outlined great tactics for them at AFCON 2025 and they keyed into it. Not only because he’s a good coach technically, but mostly because he relates with his players cordially. Talk about effective man-management acumen…
Anyone who wants to argue that tactics alone can make a team win matches should revisit the recent case of Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid of Spain, and note how ‘players-power’ forced the club’s management to hastily sack him – despite his legendary status.
Having stated all of this, we should celebrate Chelle and congratulate him mostly because of his humility. Even in the face of critical comments that trailed his appointment, he never fired back nor did he boastfully defend his status.
Even when insidious questions are hurled at him during media sessions, he always keeps his cool and responds smartly – unlike a certain former Super Eagles’ coach who would tongue lash you there and then for daring to ask a question he feels is demeaning to him.
So, let’s all hail Chelle for his comportment – cool, calm, collected and courageous. Despite being deeply emotional, he does not have a temper, never raises his voice, does not flaunt himself, and he perfectly oils his physiological shock absorber.
Aside from his sociological strengths, Chelle also proved that he has a lot of tactical savvy, which was highly instrumental in our victories over Tunisia and Algeria … nay, in all our seven matches.
Aside from the ‘human weakness’ that allowed Samuel Chukwueze’s ‘film trick’ in training becloud his reasoning when it mattered in the shootout versus Morocco, Chelle proved his technical mettle at AFCON 2025. So, I hereby submit that he was a huge success in Morocco.
Therefore, in my final analysis, I also move a strong motion that top shots of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should do everything possible to keep Eric Sekou Chelle as Super Eagles’ head coach up till 2030 … otherwise ‘the rejected stone sagas’ of Philippe Troussier and Gernot Rohr might recur to mock us in the near future!
