Former Tremendous Eagles midfielder Sylvanus Okpala has criticised ex-Nigeria Soccer Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick for backing Eric Chelle to proceed as head coach of the nationwide staff.
Okpala believes {that a} Nigerian coach stays the most suitable choice for the Tremendous Eagles, regardless of rising public assist for Chelle following current performances.
The previous worldwide mentioned he by no means supported the appointment of the Malian coach when he was named head coach in January 2025. Whereas he admitted that outcomes underneath Chelle have been encouraging, Okpala argued that good performances mustn’t distract from what he sees because the improper strategy to managing the nationwide staff.
Chelle has now spent a yr in cost and is but to lose a aggressive match in regulation time with the Tremendous Eagles. Nonetheless, he failed to guide Nigeria to qualification for the FIFA World Cup.
On the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Nigeria completed third and impressed many observers with their attacking type. The Tremendous Eagles scored 14 targets, the best on the match, and have been praised as one of the crucial thrilling groups.
These shows led Pinnick to publicly recommend that Chelle must be allowed to proceed within the position. He additionally mentioned that any Nigerian coach within the Tremendous Eagles job ought to first show himself by profitable league titles and continental trophies with a Nigeria Skilled Soccer League membership.
Okpala strongly disagrees with that view.
Talking in an interview, he mentioned Nigerian coaches are persistently neglected utilizing arguments he described as unfair and inconsistent.
“All I can say is that Nigerian coaches will clear up the Tremendous Eagles drawback. I’ve been saying this for about 5 years,” Okpala mentioned.
“I learn somebody saying that if you wish to coach the nationwide staff, you have to have taken a membership to the continent and gained the CAF Champions League.
“If that’s the situation, then Eric Chelle is from Mali. What number of golf equipment did he coach in Mali that gained the CAF Champions League?” he requested.
Okpala’s feedback come regardless of Chelle guiding Nigeria to a third-place end at AFCON 2025, a marketing campaign that has divided opinion amongst followers and former gamers.
Okpala is a revered determine in Nigerian soccer. He was a part of the Tremendous Eagles staff that gained Nigeria’s first AFCON title in 1980 and likewise represented the nation on the 1980 and 1988 Olympic Video games. As a coach, he labored as an assistant to the late Stephen Keshi and was a part of the technical crew that led Nigeria to AFCON success in 2013.
He believes his expertise, and that of different native coaches, exhibits that Nigeria already has the standard wanted to deal with the Tremendous Eagles job.
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