Eric Chelle: 9 things to know about next Super Eagles coach

Full name: Éric Sékou Chelle

Date of Birth: November 11, 1977

Nationality: Malian and French

Place of birth: Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Age: 47 years old (as of January 2025)

Position: Super Eagles head coach

Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)

Eric Chelle is a retired Mali international and was recently named the Super Eagles head coach. He was previously 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.

He was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to a French father and a Malian mother, making him French-Malian. 

Chelle was a dominant centre-back whose aerial abilities and leadership skills stood out.  

He began his playing career at French side Martigues, who now compete in Ligue 2. He left the club in 2003 before joining another French side, Valenciennes, where he spent the majority of his career. 

He had 121 appearances for the club, according to TransferMarkt, scoring 10 goals, before leaving for RC Lens in 2008, where he recorded 87 appearances in his four years at the club. 

He went on to play for lower-division French sides Istres and Chamois Niortais, where he retired. Chelle spent his entire club career in France. 

The 46-year-old was eligible to play for France and Mali. He represented Les Aigles on the international stage, recording five CAPs from 2004–2006.

Immediately after retiring from his playing career in 2014, Chelle ventured into coaching. He cut his teeth at GS Consolat as an assistant manager from 2014–2016, before he was promoted to head coach. He was head coach for only a year and joined FC Martigues, his boyhood club, in 2017.

He was Martigues coach from 2017–2021, and in May 2021, he was announced as head coach of US Boulogne. He was fired seven months later after a run of poor results in which they amassed a paltry three points in ten games. 

Chelle landed the Mali job in 2022 and was in charge until June 13, 2024, when he was fired. He was named as the new Super Eagles boss yesterday.

He 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. 

Chelle became a viral meme during the 2023 African Cup of Nations after his astonishing reaction to Mali conceding a late winner to Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals.

They navigated the group stage of the competition admirably and dispatched an impressive Burkina Faso side 2-1 in the Round of 16. 

They faced the eventual winners, Ivory Coast, in the quarter-finals and looked set to run away victors in the stiffly contested clash, thanks to Dorgeles Nene's strike in the 71st minute of the match. 

With the clock winding down, Simon Adingra shocked Mali, scoring in the 90th minute to force extra-time. Ivory Coast had a flair for the dramatic throughout the competition, and after scoring late to equalise, they scored another late goal as the winner.  

Oumar Diakhite scored around the 120th-minute mark to win the game for Cote d'Ivoire, leading an exasperated Chelle to a reaction that took the internet by storm. 

Chelle was so distraught by the Diakhite’s goal that his assistant had to pour water on his scalp in an attempt to cool him down. The clip became a viral meme during and after the competition.

As Pulse Sports reported, Chelle was said to have been handed the reins of the Nigerian national team.

A report claimed that the former Nigerian minister for sports development, John Enoh, had opted for Chelle and met with him to hand him the job. It was also reported that he would guide the Super Eagles through last September's international fixtures.

When the report hit the internet, the senior assistant to the minister of sports development, Diana-Mary Tiku Nsan, immediately debunked it, stating that it was fake news.

As Pulse Sports reported, Chelle has been named the new Super Eagles coach, bringing an end to the intense search.

The NFF released a statement yesterday announcing that the Super Eagles will have a new direction, led by Malian tactician Chelle.

The NFF Technical and Development Sub-committee recommended Chelle on the second day of the new year. The federation’s executive committee endorsed the recommendation today January 7th, confirming the former FC Martigues coach as the Super Eagles’ new gaffer.

An excerpt from the statement read: “The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has endorsed the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee for the appointment of Mr. Éric Sékou Chelle as Head Coach of Nigeria’s senior men national football team, Super Eagles.”