Former Nigerian international Nduka Ugbade has urged the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to stick with Eric Chelle as the head coach of the national team, SportPremi reports.
The future of the Franco-Malian has been up in the air since the end of the 2025 AFCON tournament, where guided the Super Eagles to a third-placed finish.
The 48-year-old has received mouthwatering offers from the likes of Tunisia, Angola and Mali, while Nigeria are yet to offer him a contract renewal despite having less than a year left.
Chelle has overseen remarkable improvement since taking over the role of head coach of the Super Eagles in January 2025, guiding the team to bronze medal finish at the recently concluded 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
Although they missed out on qualifying for the World Cup following their penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in the CAF playoffs final, there has been notable improvement in how the team setup and play.
At the AFCON in Morocco, Nigeria were one of the most impressive teams and won six of their seven matches.
The only game they lost was to the hosts and it came via a penalty shootout during the semifinal stage.
They also scored 14 goals at the tournament, which was the most any nation scored, while their 4-0 win over Mozambique in the Round of 16 represented the largest margin of victory by any side at the tournament.
Ugbade backs Chelle for contract extension
Nduka Ugbade, who is the current head coach of the Nigerian U-17 side, believes Chelle is the right man to lead the Super Eagles to glory.
“They shouldn’t send the coach (Chelle) away; they should support him”, Ugbade stated.
“All these things follow natural science. If you plant tomatoes today and expect to harvest tomorrow morning, that’s a lie.
“He took over the job and has been polishing the team. We all can see it. In the last three matches, we saw a team that clearly has the potential to be among the best in the world. If we are serious and follow the right process, we will achieve great things. The team is now gelling. Things are beginning to make meaning”, he continuef.
“What remains is to improve certain areas especially defensively. The defence used to be very tight, but now teams can play through it and score. These are things that can be fixed with time and proper planning.
“We have done well. The NFF should not sack Eric Chelle. They should support him and allow the process to continue”, the Golden Eaglets coach concluded.
