Nigeria, Jan. 27 -- To the chagrin of many football-loving Nigerians, a former Malian national team coach, Eric Chelle, has assumed duty as the coach of the Super Eagles. He replaced Austin Eguaveon, who held the fort in the wake of Finidi George's sudden resignation in June 2024. Eyebrows raised at the 9 January appointment are not out of sync with his uninspiring coaching pedigree.

From available records, Chelle's best credential was taking the Malian national team to the 2023 AFCON tournament in Cote D'Ivoire, where it lost 2-1 in the quarter finals to the host nation. The Malian Football Federation sacked him after a Group 1 World Cup qualifier game with Madagascar that ended in a goalless draw in June. Besides coaching a string of s...