Nigeria’s football governing body, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), is poised to name former Mali coach, Eric Sekou Chelle as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.
This decision comes six months after the position became vacant following the surprising resignation of Finidi George, who stepped down due to poor results in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
During that campaign, Nigeria failed to secure a win against South Africa and suffered a loss to the Benin Republic.
Chelle, who is of French-Malian descent, had previously expressed interest in taking the Super Eagles coaching role shortly after leaving his position with Les Aigles.
According to Actu Foot Afrique on Tuesday, reports indicate that Éric Sékou-Chelle is expected to become Nigeria’s new coach, having been dismissed by Mali last month.
Malian journalist Drissa Niono confirmed this development on his X account (formerly Twitter), stating, “Negotiations have resumed between Nigeria and the agent of the former Mali coach, who is currently in Abuja.”
Born in Côte d’Ivoire to a French father and a Malian mother, Chelle was eligible to play for all three countries but ultimately chose to represent Mali, earning five caps before retiring.
With the AFCON 2025 qualification concluded and the Super Eagles currently sitting in 5th place in Group C with just 3 points after four matches, they will face significant challenges when the 2026 World Cup qualifiers resume in March.
The three-time AFCON champions are scheduled to face group leaders Rwanda in a MatchDay 5 fixture at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.