The Nigeria Football Federation has dismissed speculation about the future of Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle, insisting he remains committed to the national team and is not planning to leave.
Amid reports linking Chelle with interest from Tunisia and Angola, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau stated the Franco-Malian tactician is still under contract and central to Nigeria’s plans.
“We still have a one-year contract with Eric, and therefore whatever interest anybody will show on him, he has to wait until his contract expires,” Gusau said in an interview shared by the Super Eagles’ media team.
He added that the federation wants to avoid distractions and protect the progress made under Chelle, who guided Nigeria to a third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Gusau dismissed suggestions that financial incentives or short-term success elsewhere should influence Chelle’s future.
“The issue is that do they have the materials for him to work with, to achieve what he wants to achieve. The dream of every single coach is to make sure that he achieves success, especially on higher tournaments,” he explained.
He emphasized that career fulfillment, not money, should guide such decisions. “So when you are saying that I want the coach, we are going to look for the coach to come and we are going to pay him a certain amount of money, it’s not the issue of the money, but will he achieve what he wants to achieve in his career?”
According to Gusau, Chelle remains deeply committed to the Super Eagles project. “So the key thing is that I know Coach Eric believes in Super Eagles, and he believes that he can achieve whatever he wants to achieve in his career.”
He also revealed that the federation has discussed Chelle’s future with him several times and is confident he will continue with Nigeria.
