The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed on Tuesday the appointment of Éric Sékou Chelle as the new Head Coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team, the Super Eagles.
Here are a few key facts about him:
- Éric Sékou Chelle (born 11 November 1977) is a professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back.
- Born in Ivory Coast to a French father and a Malian mother, Chelle earned five caps for the Mali national team.
- Holding French nationality, Chelle spent his entire playing career in France, representing clubs such as Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais. Internationally, he played for Mali.
- In May 2021, Chelle was appointed head coach of US Boulogne but was dismissed on 11 December 2021 after the club gained just three points in their previous ten matches.
- In 2022, Chelle became the manager of the Mali national team but was dismissed on 13 June 2024.
- Chelle became a viral sensation during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final between Mali and Ivory Coast. During the tense match, a member of his staff poured water on his head to help him recover from the stress, which soon became a widely shared meme. Chelle later explained that the water was vital to stabilise his condition.
- As a manager, Chelle boasts a 44% win rate, having won 70 out of 159 matches, including 13 wins and three losses in 21 games with Mali.
- Chelle is the first non-Nigerian African to lead the Super Eagles.
- His appointment as the Super Eagles’ head coach on 7 January 2024 attracted criticism from some fans, who dubbed him “a French Ligue 2 veteran.”
