Isaac Success Defends Chelle, Calls for Shared Blame in WCQ Struggles

Super Eagles forward Isaac Success has called for a collective reassessment of Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualification crisis, cautioning against placing all the blame on head coach Eric Chelle. In a candid interview with Home Turf, Success questioned the leadership structure of the Nigerian Football Federation NFF and challenged players, staff, and officials to take shared responsibility.

Nigeria’s 1-1 home draw against Zimbabwe has triggered outrage among fans, especially after South Africa moved six points ahead following a 2-0 win over Benin. The result has placed immense pressure on Chelle, who, along with players like William Troost-Ekong and Stanley Nwabali, has become a primary target of criticism.

Success, however, sees deeper issues at play. “Do we have a structure before Eric Chelle was appointed? That’s the first question,” he asked, noting that the coach may lack the proper tools or players to execute his plans. He added that “the blame should go around to the players, staff, and the NFF.”

The Udinese striker also addressed the psychological toll on players, citing the intense scrutiny and online abuse they face from fans. “Nigerians, if they come for you, you’ll deactivate your account, run away from the country,” he said.

Touching on the Victor Osimhen debate, Success warned against the overreliance on one player, advocating for the long-term development of another capable striker. “You can’t expect another player to do what Osimhen does overnight. Confidence is built over time.”

He concluded by stressing the need for unity and clarity. “If six players don’t know what they’re doing, it rubs off on the whole team. We’ve relied too much on individual brilliance. We need cohesion and shared purpose to succeed.”

Editorial

Isaac Success may not have donned the green-and-white in over six years, but his words strike at the heart of Nigerian football’s deepest wounds. His blunt assessment isn’t a rant it’s a wake-up call.

Time and again, we’ve seen Super Eagles coaches become scapegoats for failures that are systemic. Eric Chelle, like his predecessors, inherited a flawed structure one where the pressure to win outweighs the planning required to win consistently.

Success is right to question whether the coach has the players to fit his philosophy. The Super Eagles are blessed with talent, but talent without synergy is chaos. If individual brilliance alone was enough, Nigeria would never lose. But we’ve seen again and again against Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, even Cape Verde that brilliance fades without cohesion.

He’s also brave to speak on fan pressure. Criticism is fair; abuse is not. A national team cannot thrive when players fear the wrath of their own supporters more than their opponents. We must build, not break, the shoulders we expect to carry us.

And when it comes to the Osimhen conversation, Success again offers clarity. You don’t replace a striker like Osimhen overnight. You groom, you invest, and you wait. That’s how dynasties are built not through panic, but through patience.

This is no longer about blaming Chelle or benching one player. It’s about the soul of Nigerian football. Either we face our problems together or we continue to repeat them, alone.

Did You Know?

1. Isaac Success was part of Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets squad that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2013.
2. He made his senior Super Eagles debut in 2017 and last featured against Uganda in November 2018.
3. Success currently plays for Udinese in Serie A, having previously played for Watford and Granada.
4. Nigeria has failed to qualify for only one FIFA World Cup 2006 since making its debut in 1994.
5. Eric Chelle, though French-born, represented Mali as a player and took over the Super Eagles job in early 2025.