By Olawale Lamina
Following the announcement by the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, the former Mali Boss Eric Chelle is new Super Eagles head coach.
Chelle is a retired Mali international and was recently the head coach of Les Aigles before he was fired in June 2024. He was a centre-back in his playing career and got into coaching after retiring.
Chelle, 47, was head coach of Mali for 21 games and had an impressive record of 2.10 points per game, as he won 13 of the games at the helm with five draws, only losing three matches.
Biography
Eric Chelle was raised in France by his French father and Malian mother. Playing Career: A central defender during his playing days, Chelle featured prominently in French football, representing clubs like Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais. He earned five caps for the Malian national team between 2004 and 2006.1 hour a
Early Life:
Born on November 11, 1977, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Chelle holds Malian citizenship. He was raised in France by his French father and Malian mother.
Playing Career:
A central defender during his playing days, Chelle featured prominently in French football, representing clubs like Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais.
He earned five caps for the Malian national team between 2004 and 2006.
His Coaching Journey and Experience:
Chelle transitioned into coaching, managing clubs such as GS Consolat (France amateur league), FC Martigues (Ligue 2), Boulogne (Championnat National), and MC Oran (Algerian Ligue), which spans from 2017 to 2022.
He was appointed head coach of the Mali national team in May 2022, guiding them to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, a competition in which the Super Eagles, led by Jose Peseiro came second.
His journey with the Malian national team ended when he was dismissed by Mali’s football body in June 2024, gathering two years of experience as a national coach.
Overall, critics described him as having limited experience.
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