Nigerian football fans have intensified calls for the immediate dismissal of Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle following the team’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Sudan that ended their African Nations Championship campaign with a game to spare.
The comprehensive loss in Zanzibar on Tuesday night has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with supporters questioning Chelle’s tactical approach and team selection decisions that saw Nigeria crash out of the tournament without scoring a single goal in two matches.
“Very disgraceful CHAN campaign. NFF, please don’t wait till this man costs us World Cup 2026 ticket before you sack him. If we know what we are doing, Eric Chelle is supposed to be sacked first thing tomorrow (Thursday) morning,” wrote fan Adetunji Samson on social media platform X.
The defeat marked a new low for Nigerian football, with the Super Eagles managing just two shots on target across both group matches whilst conceding five goals. Sudan’s emphatic victory saw them climb to the top of Group D, whilst Nigeria’s players left the pitch with heads bowed after another woeful display.
Many supporters have criticised Chelle’s rigid tactical philosophy and his controversial team selection, particularly his decision to pick nine players from Nigerian Premier Football League champions Remo Stars.
Sports journalist Pamela Ilekhuoba highlighted this as a critical error, stating that selecting so many players from one club simply because they won the league was “a big mistake on his part. Remo Stars are no Sundowns or Al Ahly.”
Sali Kutushi blamed Chelle’s rigid philosophy for the team’s poor showing, arguing that whilst the players weren’t blameless, the coach “didn’t put these boys out in good light with his rigid philosophy.”
@devoyceoflagos was particularly critical of Chelle’s tactical approach and communication skills, arguing that the coach prioritised his philosophy over practicality, expecting NPFL players to adapt to his system just weeks before a major tournament.
“For God’s sake, this man can’t even communicate effectively in English. They play like a team without an idea of what exactly they plan to do, so confused,” DEVOYCE wrote.
“There’s no way on earth that Chelle understands the NPFL boys better than Camara and Ijaball,” referring to assistant coach Daniel Ogunmodede by his nickname.
Mr. Asimolowo dismissed Chelle’s chances of leading Nigeria to World Cup qualification, writing on X, “The personnel issue is mostly on the NFF, we all know that, but also, Chelle is a bad coach. WC qualification my as*.”
Chudé, @chude__, criticised the selection process as flawed, highlighting how Chelle had selected players mainly from Remo Stars whilst ignoring talented players from other top Nigerian league teams.
“Eric Chelle selected players mainly from Reno Stars for the African Nations Championship, ignoring many talented players from top Nigerian league teams. The team is struggling in the tournament, losing to Senegal and Sudan consecutively. Disappointing! The selection process is flawed,” he wrote.
The calls for change have extended beyond Chelle’s immediate dismissal, with some fans suggesting assistant coach Ogunmodede should take over the role.
Another fan with the username @Adekoyaoluwaf13 wrote, “Chelle should have left the job for Ijaball. Ijaball nor fit loose like this. NFF need to sack Chelle ASAP because the future looks blurry with him.”
Mista Yu, @UcO99068626, added, “Chelle is not the type of coach that can take Nigerian football anywhere, in my opinion.”
The pressure on the Nigeria Football Federation to act has intensified following Tuesday’s capitulation, which saw Sudan’s Abdel Raouf Yagoub score twice in the second half to add to Leonard Ngenge’s nightmare own goal and Walieldin Khdir’s emphatic penalty.
Nigeria began the match brightly, creating early chances and seeing Raymond Tochukwu fire just wide on 11 minutes. They thought they had taken the lead when Anthony Ijoma scored on 22 minutes, only for VAR to rule it out for offside.
The momentum shifted dramatically when Yagoub’s drive struck the post and rebounded off the unfortunate Ngenge for Sudan’s opener. The situation deteriorated further before half-time when Ngenge handled in the box, allowing Khdir to thunder home from the penalty spot.
Chelle’s half-time substitutions failed to stem the tide, with Yagoub adding two more goals in the second half as Sudan dominated proceedings. The result left Nigeria with zero goals scored and five conceded across their two group matches.
Following the defeat, Chelle admitted his team had lost concentration at crucial moments, but his post-match analysis has done little to appease angry supporters who believe fundamental changes are needed at the top.
“We lost concentration at key moments. Once you’re chasing Sudan, they make the pitch feel very small,” the French-Malian coach said.
With World Cup qualification on the horizon, fans are demanding immediate action from the NFF to prevent further embarrassment on the international stage.
