NFF technical director Augustine Eguavon rallies support for Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle

Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Augustine Eguavon is urging support for head coach Eric Chelle as the team gear up for the 2026 World Cup playoff and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

The Super Eagles missed out on automatic World Cup qualification and are set to participate in a mini-tournament in Morocco this month to determine their fate for the global showpiece.

Nigeria will face Gabon on November 13, with the winner expected to face either Cameroon or DR Congo. The winner of this tournament in the North African country will participate in the inter-continental playoff scheduled for March 2026.

However, the former Nigeria international has called for support rather than distraction for Eric Chelle.

“He (Chelle) has the job he’s doing right now. Let us focus. Let us not be distracted. Let us not make him uncomfortable. We have something in front of us: the World Cup playoffs and AFCON. Let us focus on that,” Eguavoen told OGTV.

Prior to the qualification of the Super Eagles for the African playoffs, there have been speculations flying around that the football governing body was ready to part ways with the Malians if he fails to take the team to the World Cup.

Eguavoen has now given the assurance that the management are solidly behind Chelle and he believes he will take Nigeria to the World Cup.