The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Grassroots Sports Development, Adeyinka Adeboye, has called on Nigerians to rally round and support Franco-Malian gaffer, Eric Seykou Chelle, who was announced by the Board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Wednesday as the new coach of the senior men national football team, the Super Eagles.
The three-time African champions has not had a substantive coach since former Nigerian and Ajax Amsterdam of Holland dashing winger, Finidi George, resigned as coach after a poor run of games in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers including a crucial defeat to Benin Republic that left the Super Eagles hope of qualifying hanging in the balance. Former Super Eagles defender and NFF technical director, Augustine Eguavoen, was in charge of the Super Eagles on interim basis during their successful qualifying campaign for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by Morocco.
However, the SSA, in a statement signed by his media office said the former Mali national team coach needs the support of every football stakeholder in Nigeria to succeed.
“I want to appeal to Nigerians to be patient with our new coach, Eric Seykou Chelles, whose appointment was announced by the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation on Wednesday.
I believe that he will succeed in this new job. My office and the offices of the chairman and the Director General of the National Sports Commission will give total support to Chelle to take our football to the next and the desired level not only in Africa but in the world.
“We all understand our passion for football in Nigeria. It is one game that unifies the whole country irrespective of religion, tribal or ethnic affiliations. It is in this respect that I want to beg Nigerians to support Chelle to see us through and qualify the Super Eagles for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico,” Adeyinka said.
The 2013 AFCON winner are four points behind surprised group leaders, the Amavubi of Rwanda and will travel to Kigali before hosting bottom side Zimbabwe in the next round of matches in March.
