Ex Real Madrid Star Rallies Support for Super Eagles Coach After AFCON Draw
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn in Group C for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
- AFCON 2025 will be Eric Chelle’s first major tournament after becoming the new Super Eagles boss
- Former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju has rallied support for the team at the tournament
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Former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju has rallied support for Eric Chelle and the Nigerian national team after the draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations was held yesterday.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) held the draws event at Rabat, Morocco as the continent looked forward to the 35th edition of AFCON later this year.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by CAF Online, the Super Eagles of Nigeria were drawn in Group C alongside North African country Tunisia and two East African rivals Uganda and Tanzania.
Nigeria are favourites to progress from the group with Eric Chelle set for his first major tournament as Super Eagles boss, but first must navigate the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Adepoju rallies support for Chelle
Former Real Madrid midfielder Mutiu Adepoju has shared his thoughts on Chelle as Super Eagles coach and appealed to Nigerians to support the new manager.
“He has to put up his best and get the best out of his players. I believe he is going to get the job done. I just want everyone to support him, because he's the only team lead we have, and we just have to qualify for the World Cup, so we have to support him,” he told Legit.ng.
Nigeria face an uphill task in the World Cup qualifiers after starting the campaign poorly with three points from the opening four games and sitting fifth in the group.
Jose Peseiro managed two draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, while Finidi George managed the draw against South Africa and the final straw defeat to Benin Republic.
Before thinking of AFCON 2025, Chelle has the huge task of the World Cup qualifiers ahead, he identified the urgency of his responsibility and addressed it during his unveiling.
“I know the expectations of Nigerians and I will settle down and work diligently with assistants towards the goal of qualifying the Super Eagles to the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” he said at the press conference.
“Our Super Eagles have the chance to qualify for the World Cup, and I truly believe it. We need to establish better management structures and adopt effective techniques. We must be aggressive and focused.”
The former Mali national team coach will hope to win the hearts of Nigerians with strong performances during the qualifiers ahead of AFCON 2025 in December, as the majority of the country's football fans were not in agreement with his appointment.
Chelle shares plan for Super Eagles
Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle shared his plans for the Super Eagles after attending the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations group stage draws event held in Rabat, Morocco.
The Malian recognises that the AFCON is not his immediate priority and that turning around the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign comes first for Nigerians.
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Source: Legit.ng
