- NFF technical director Augustine Eguavoen has analysed what Eric Chelle got wrong at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
- Chelle led the Super Eagles of Nigeria to win the bronze medal, beating the Pharaohs of Egypt in the third-place match
- Eguavoen and many other football dignitaries in Nigeria backed the manager to continue in charge of the national team
NFF technical director Augustine Eguavoen has applauded Eric Chelle after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, but highlighted something he got wrong.
Chelle earned plaudits from Nigerians for how the Super Eagles performed at AFCON 2025, particularly the style of play, despite not winning the trophy.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria won the bronze medal, for a record-extending ninth time, beating the Pharaohs of Egypt 4-2 on penalties on Saturday, January 17, 2026, after losing the semi-final to hosts Morocco.
The Franco-Malian manager had previously failed to lead Nigeria to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, losing the final of the African playoffs to DR Congo on penalties.
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There is a minute percentage of Nigerians who want him gone, but he received overwhelming support to fulfil the final year of his two-year contract.
Eguavoen highlights Chelle’s fault
Eguavoen, who was the Super Eagles’ interim coach and led the team to qualify for AFCON 2025, has highlighted one thing Chelle did that he did not agree with.
“I felt disappointed that we did not include some NPFL players in the AFCON squad. Some players in the team may not even get a minute of action, so why couldn’t we include a few players from the local league? At least three or four would have been better,” he told Footy Africa.
Chelle led the team to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in August 2024, and had a dismal outing and was eliminated in the group stage.
Eguavoen believes that the tournament should not be the yardstick to assess the Nigeria Premier Football League players and added that players should be considered regardless.
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“The players are not bad, and just because we didn’t do well at CHAN doesn’t mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he added.
“That said, I think this is something we need to look into because it speaks volumes when players come directly from the local league into a major tournament like AFCON.”
Source: Getty Images
He added that though there are calls to include NPFL players in the team, the decision is for the head coach to make, as the NFF will not impose players on him.
Nigeria’s best stats at AFCON 2025
As noted by CAF, the Super Eagles under Chelle were one of the best teams at AFCON 2025 and led the tournament in some key stats.
Nigeria had three players in the Team of the Tournament: Victor Osimhen, Calvin Bassey and Lookman, while there was a strong case for Alex Iwobi and Bright Osayi-Samuel. Finalists Senegal and Morocco had four each.
Nigeria scored 14 goals, the most at the tournament, and had the most goals in a single match when they thrashed Mozambique 4-0 in the Round of 16.
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The Super Eagles had five consecutive wins, the highest at the tournament, after winning all matches until the semi-final. Nigeria was undefeated in normal time at the tournament.
Chelle’s team also had the best average possession with 66%, asserting their dominance over opponents at the tournament. Ademola Lookman has the most assists with four.
NFF decides Chelle’s future
Legit.ng previously reported that NFF decided that Eric Chelle would continue as Super Eagles head coach after winning the bronze medal at AFCON 2025.
NFF President Ibrahim Gusau confirmed that the team showed progress during the tournament and that the fans backed the manager to continue.
Source: Legit.ng