Amaju Pinnick: Ex NFF President Breaks Silence Over Eric Chelle’s Hiring
- It is no longer news that the Nigerian Football Federation appointed Eric Chelle as the new Super Eagles' head coach
- The appointment has been met with outrage from Nigerian football fans who claimed to want a better head coach
- Former NFF President Amaju Pinnick has shared his thoughts about the hiring of the former Mali manager
Former NFF President Amaju Pinnick has broken his silence over the appointment of Eric Chelle as the new Super Eagles manager amid outrage from Nigerians.
The saga involving the lack of a permanent manager for the senior national team ended on Tuesday, nearly six months after the resignation of Finidi George.
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The Nigerian Football Federation announced that former Malian international Eric Chelle would be the new manager via a social media post, which has sparked widespread protests among the fans.
Nigerians believe that Chelle is not competent enough to lead a national team as big as Nigeria and that someone better should have been hired after the long wait for a permanent manager.
Pinnick defends Chelle's appointment
Former NFF President Amaju Pinnick has swung in defence of the federation over the appointment of the former Mali national team head coach Chelle.
“I got a lot of calls when he was announced. I shook my head because before now, I had already done my intelligence about Eric and I came to realize that some people do not know him,” he told Arise TV.
“They are just basing their argument on the colour of his skin. They are just being judgmental about the colour of his skin because he's a black man, not the content of his targets and his deliverables.”
One of the major concerns was that Mali sacked Chelle after a poor start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, a similar spot Nigeria are in currently.
“He's got a wonderful record. When he was in Mali, if you look at Mali the last two years they have been very consistent, consistent in the quality of their play,” Pinnick added.
“Based on what you have seen, statistics from Mali, out of 22 games, he won 14, he drew five and lost just three, which shows that he is an offensive coach and Nigeria, traditionally, we are an offensive team.
“That has technically, automatically, and organically prepared him for the challenges to come.”
The FIFA Council member confirmed that the 47-year-old will come with three backroom staff supported by the ones provided by the NFF.
“He's not just a coach, he's coming with a retinue of backroom staff - a set-piece specialist, match reader, goalkeeper coach. He's also going to be supported by a retinue of backroom staff provided by the NFF Technical Department, so it's not just him.”
Aghahowa names NFF’s mistake
Legit.ng reported that Julius Aghahowa named NFF’s mistake in appointing Eric Chelle as the new head coach of the Nigerian national team after months of waiting.
The former Super Eagles forward claimed to have nothing personal against the Ivorian-born coach but feels the federation could have timed the appointment differently.
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Source: Legit.ng
