Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Augustine Eguavoen, has emphasized the
importance of giving newly-appointed Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, full support and freedom to make decisions.
In an interview on Brila FM’s ‘No Holds Barred with Ifeanyi Udeze’, Eguavoen drew a clear distinction between interference and intervene in player selection.
“At the senior team level, you need to give the coach all the support you can give him. He will make his decisions, and we won’t force him. If you force him, you’re interfering, because it’s about results now, and if anything goes wrong or right, he will be held responsible.”
Eguavoen also shared his impressions of Chelle, highlighting his experience watching Mali during the last AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire.
“I think he’s a very good coach. They played some decent football, and in the last two or three games, Mali beat us, and he was in charge.”
However, Eguavoen acknowledged that coaching Nigeria is a different challenge altogether.
“Mali isn’t Nigeria. If you compare us, we have more talent than the Malian team… As a human being, he’s a wonderful guy. As a coach, he’s a good coach.”
Eguavoen reassured that the NFF will work hard to support Coach Chelle in every way possible.
“We’ll work closely with him, provide him with all the resources he needs, and give him the freedom to make his own decisions,” Eguavoen promised, emphasizing that the success of the Super Eagles is a collective effort.
