With Chelle’s contract talks stalled and his future uncertain, a former Super Eagles defender is making the case that the NFF cannot afford to let the man who has never lost a game in regulation time walk out the door.
Former Nigerian international Eric Ejiofor has publicly called on the Nigeria Football Federation to hold on to Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle, saying the Franco-Malian tactician has transformed how the team plays and must be retained ahead of the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign, FootballInNigeria.com.ng reports. “I really think the NFF must keep Eric Chelle as Super Eagles head coach,” Ejiofor said in a radio interview. “He has made significant changes to our football, as the team now plays an attractive style.”
The timing of the call matters. Chelle’s two year contract, signed when he was appointed in January 2025, runs until December 2026. The NFF and the National Sports Commission moved early to discuss an extension after Nigeria’s bronze medal finish at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, but formal negotiations have dragged. The coach submitted a 19 point extension proposal to the federation in January 2026, including a reported salary demand of $130,000 per month to cover himself, his technical crew, and support staff. The two sides have not reached an agreement, and reports surfaced in June 2026 that talks had stalled completely, leaving Chelle’s future beyond the end of his current deal in real doubt.
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The Numbers Behind Ejiofor’s Argument
Ejiofor’s case rests on results, and the numbers are hard to argue with. Since taking charge, Chelle has recorded 16 wins, 9 draws, and just 1 defeat across 26 games. His unbeaten run in regulation time has now stretched to 12 consecutive matches, a run that includes the 2-2 draw against Poland in Warsaw in June 2026, where Nigeria led 2-1 in stoppage time before conceding a late equaliser.
Ejiofor specifically praised Chelle’s approach to youth integration and his decision to bring NPFL based players into the senior squad for the current June window. The coach fielded three entirely different squads across the Unity Cup and the Poland and Portugal friendlies, handing 13 players their international debuts, 12 of whom featured in the Unity Cup. That kind of pipeline work, building depth while maintaining competitive results, is exactly what Nigerian football has needed for years.
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The Contract Situation and What It Means
The NFF’s position has shifted more than once. In January 2026, NFF president Ibrahim Gusau said the federation saw no need to rush talks, pointing to the remaining year on Chelle’s deal. By February, reports indicated the NSC and NFF had agreed in principle to extend his contract, with the extension expected to take effect after AFCON. But by June 2026, no formal announcement had been made and Chelle himself acknowledged the impasse, telling reporters he could not guarantee he would still be in charge when the 2027 tournament kicked off.
That uncertainty has attracted attention from elsewhere. Tunisia, Angola, and Guinea have all reportedly monitored the situation, while links to Ligue 1 clubs Marseille and Nantes also surfaced during the negotiations. A coach who has gone unbeaten in regulation time for 12 straight games, guided the team to AFCON bronze, and won back public trust after two consecutive World Cup absences has options. The NFF knows it.
Ejiofor is one of several voices from within Nigerian football pushing the federation to act. As a defender who earned 14 caps for Nigeria between 2000 and 2002, including a place in the squad for the 2002 Africa Nations Cup finals in Mali, he speaks with the authority of someone who understands what it takes to build a winning environment. His career took him from Enyimba to Maccabi Haifa, where he won the Israeli Premier League title in 2003-04, to Enosis Neon Paralimni in Cyprus. He knows what good management from the top down looks like. The message to the NFF from his corner is clear sort it out before someone else does. Super Eagles supporters who want to back the team during the upcoming AFCON qualifier window can take advantage of the latest Bet9ja promo code when September fixtures go live.
📌 Did You Know?
- Eric Chelle was appointed Super Eagles head coach on January 7, 2025, initially on a two-year deal with the specific target of qualifying Nigeria for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He did not meet that target but was retained for AFCON 2025.
- Chelle’s only defeat as Super Eagles coach came in regulation time before his current unbeaten run began. His record of 16 wins, 9 draws, and 1 loss across 26 games makes him one of the most successful Nigeria coaches by win percentage in recent memory.
- The 19 point contract extension proposal submitted by Chelle to the NFF in January 2026 also included structural demands beyond salary, covering scouting infrastructure, preparation schedules, and squad management autonomy. The NFF described the terms as not outrageous but talks remained unresolved as of June 2026.
- Eric Ejiofor, born in Asaba, Delta State, was part of the Enyimba squad that won the Nigerian league title before his move to Israel. He was capped 14 times for Nigeria and featured at the 2002 Africa Nations Cup finals held in Mali.
- During the current June 2026 international window, Chelle worked across three different squads over less than two weeks the Unity Cup squad, the Poland squad, and the Portugal squad. Nigeria won the Unity Cup, drew with Poland, and then travelled to Portugal without losing.
- Nigeria are drawn in Group L of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers alongside hosts Tanzania, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau, with the campaign set to begin in September 2026. If Chelle’s contract situation is not resolved, he could technically depart before the first qualifier is played.
- The AFCON 2025 bronze medal earned by Chelle’s Nigeria lifted the Super Eagles 12 places in the FIFA world rankings, underlining the tangible effect his tenure has had on Nigeria’s standing in world football.
