The appointment of Chelle by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has generated a lot of brouhaha within the nation’s soccer circle ostensibly due to the fact that he is not only of African origin but also because his credentials are not better than most of our home-grown coaches that have handled the Super Eagles over the years......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
Most miffed are some of ex-internationals of the Westerhof era who have seen the Chelle’s emergence as a dirty slap on their collective face. Those of them who have had stints with the Super Eagles are at seas over the NFF’s choice. The NFF had assured the nation that it was taking its time to find a world class coach after the exit of head coach, Jose Peseiro, about a year ago. They, like most Nigerian soccer buffs, now wonder if Chelle is a definition of a world class gaffer.
Chelle’s pedigree as a player and coach is not inspiring, no doubt. Besides qualifying Mali for the 2023 AFCON and leading them to the quarter finals before they were hurled out by the host nation, Cote d’Ivoire, there is nothing else to sell him as a coach worthy of taking charge of a team of the Super Eagles’ status. Before surfacing as the head coach of the Malian Eagles, Chelle had only coached a handful of lower league clubs in France where he also played his professional football. He also won only five caps for Mali between 2004 and 2006. His last assignment was in Algeria where he tended to a clubside.
By hiring Chelle, the NFF seems to be telling the critics of his appointment that “What an elder will sight while lying on a mat, a young boy will not see it even if he is at the top of iroko tree.” At this point, one cannot but give the NFF the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps, we should be encouraged by our experience with Westerhof. Nobody knew the Dutch tactician from Adam before he was hired for the job. He came with his sidekick, Johan Bonfrere, in tow and hurled the Super Eagles from obscurity to the world stage. But then it took him five years of labour to achieve that unprecedented feat at the USA ’94… the precursor being the second Afcon victory in Tunisia, exactly 14 years after their first-ever win in Lagos.
Another argument is that the hood does not make the monk. Being an outstanding footballer, which Chelle might not have been, does not translate to a super coach. An example is the late Diego Amando Maradona of the ‘Hand of God’ fame. He was arguably one of the greatest footballers to traverse the world’s soccer space. But as a coach, he was a colossal flop. The high point of his coaching disaster was at the South Africa 2010 World Cup Finals where he was in charge of the Argentine national team. In the squad were the best forwards any nation should be proud of at the time. The roll call was intimidating: Lionel Messi, whose career was at an apogee, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, Gonzales Higuain, Angel Di Maria and Sergio Kun Aguero, his beloved son-in-law. The six soccer predators had over 120 goals combined, scored for their various high-profile clubs across the 2009/2010 European leagues season. But they could not clinch the World Cup Trophy for Argentina under Maradona’s watch. Soccer pundits are still scratching their heads, years after the tournament and years after the legend’s passing, in search for an answer to his howling failure!
It is going to be a Hercules’ labour for Chelle to qualify the Super Eagles for 2026 World Cup Finals and there is no doubt about that. Many think it is a little too late now. Presently, Nigeria is languishing in the lower rungs of the Group C ladder comprising six teams. Rwanda, South Africa and Benin are leading the pack in that order with seven points each. Lesotho is fourth with five points, while the Giant of Africa with clay feet has raked in three miserable points to perch in the fifth position. Zimbabwe is at the bottom of the ladder with only two points.
For the Super Eagles to qualify from the group, they have to win the remainders of their matches. From the look of things, that is a near impossibility. And that is why the task ahead of him a herculean one. However, some pundits who have followed his trajectory have described him as a good manager of materials for the job. He is said to be an apostle attacking football (leading to goals), and he has assured Nigerian football disciples that the Super Eagles will score goals. Netting the ball is the ultimate goal in football. He is also predisposed to the 4-3-3 pattern which has been our main philosophy since Father Tiko in the early 70s. Sharing in the belief will enable him to settle in fast.
Yes, we need a coach who will be homely, in addition to looking inwards for local talents, helping our domestic leagues to grow and develop, and attending local matches rather than junket around Europe to monitor ready-made Nigerian players. A glimpse into what he can offer us will be seen when he takes charge at the next CHAN tourney coming up later in the year. It is also necessary for him to watch our leagues to identify budding players and build his own squad using the foreign-based ones for beautification. As things stand now he is occupying a rented apartment, even though the two-year contract he signed may not be enough to lay a solid foundation. Remember that it took Westerhof half a decade to hammer out a world class squad.
Before Westerhof came and revolutionised our football, Nigeria relied on home-made Green Eagles in the 70s made up of talented players unearthed from across topflight clubs like Enugu Rangers, Shooting Stars of Ibadan, Standard FC of Jos, Bendel Insurance of Benin, Mighty Jets of Jos, Abiola Babes of Abeokuta, Raccah Rovers of Kano, Iwuanyawu Nationale of Owerri, Leventis United of Lagos, BCC Lions of Gboko, to mention just a few. We relied on infusion of only two foreign-based players, namely John Chidozie and Tunji Banjo, to strengthen the right wing and the midfield.
Nigeria is blessed with abundance of talented materials. But our development programmes are nothing to write home about. In fact, what we are running is pseudo-professional football herded into a bureaucratic wagon and driven by state governments and/or their agencies. There was a time when private football academies appeared to be mushrooming all over the place. That was the way to go. The fact is that our soccer standard is nothing to write home about when compared to the level attained in some African countries, North Africa in particular, not to speak of Europe. It is one of the reasons our clubs have been underperforming in continental championships.
We need to revive and rejig our age-grade football that took the entire world by storm in the 80s and 90s. Chelle should also be a rallying point for our age-grade coaches who are expected to raise feeder players for the senior national squad. His presence at match venues will motivate local players to play their hearts out and showcase their talents in the belief that such displays would earn them call-ups to the national camp.
All told, Chelle should be given all the support and free a hand to run his show… devoid of interference from any quarters. The task ahead of him is not going to be a stroll in the arena. He should be free to make his choice: succeed or fail.