Former Super Eagles defender Sam Sodje has strongly opposed the idea of Eric Chelle managing both Nigeria’s senior national team and the U-23 side, insisting that the two responsibilities should be handled by separate coaches, Sports247.ng reports.
Sodje believes the proposal would place unnecessary pressure on Chelle at a time when the Super Eagles need his full attention, particularly amid concerns over their performances and preparations for upcoming international assignments.
Speaking in an interview with Brila.net, the former Nigeria international questioned the practicality of assigning both national teams to one manager.
“I can’t imagine anywhere in the world where you have the same manager at the same time managing the national team and managing the Olympic team, especially when it comes to Nigeria right now, when the Super Eagles are struggling to qualify for the AFCON,” Sodje said.
He stressed that Nigeria’s U-23 team deserves dedicated technical leadership, recalling the country’s historic gold-medal triumph at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
“We know how important the under-23 side is, the Olympic team, talking about the ’96 squad, the Dream Boys, who gave us the joy of football,” he added.
Sodje argued that Nigeria has enough emerging coaches capable of handling the Olympic team without requiring Chelle to divide his attention between two demanding assignments.
“We’ve got so many young managers out there who can do a job. So hopefully the new NFF board comes in and sees how important it is to separate both jobs,” he stated.
The former defender also warned that combining the roles could create complications when fixtures or preparations overlap, leaving one of the teams without the manager’s full attention.
“He shouldn’t be juggling both the Super Eagles and the Olympic side. He should be concentrating on the Super Eagles at the moment,” Sodje insisted.
While wishing the national teams success, Sodje maintained that his objection was about the structure of the coaching arrangement rather than Chelle personally.
“Regardless of the result, I think both jobs should be separated, and the supporters of Nigeria do deserve better,” he said.
He concluded with his strongest criticism of the proposal.
“Definitely, it’s a ridiculous idea to have the same manager manage both the Super Eagles and the Olympic side.”
