Chairman, National Sports Commission, NSC, Shehu Dikko is rooting for newly appointed Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, to make a positive impact on the team.
Chelle, whose appointment was confirmed by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, last week was officially unveiled in Abuja on Monday.
The 47-year-old’s appointment has been greeted with widespread resistance and criticism by Nigerian football fans and pundits.
Despite the controversy that surrounded his appointment, Dikko believes the Malian is the right man for the job.
The former NFF’s vice-president also stated that Chelle’s deep knowledge of African football will be vital for the Super Eagles.
“We have a World Cup qualifier that is very dicey, very critical. We have three windows to play the qualifiers; there is no window for a friendly match, and there is no window for a test match, and we are playing, for goodness sake, African countries—we are playing Zimbabwe, Rwanda, South Africa, Lesotho, and Benin. Those are co-African countries, Dikko told Channels Television.
“So, the only person that can come at this moment if we want to get somebody that can bring fresh thinking to the team and lead the team is somebody with the experience of African football, and this coach, you should judge him with the work he has done with the national team. Forget about the club; club football is different; the national team is different.
Media Talk Africa recalls Chelle left Algerian club, MC Oran to take up his new role with the Super Eagles.
He was in charge of the Eagles of Mali at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Cote d’Ivoire.
