‘He did not give us the World Cup ticket’ - Super Eagles legend urges NFF to sack Chelle for his failure

Nigeria's ambitions of reaching the global tournament ended following their failure to defeat DR Congo.

The Super Eagles lost 4-3 on a penalty shootout to DR Congo, after the match had ended 1-1 in extra time.

The loss ended Nigeria's hope of qualifying for the tournament, making it the second time in a row they failed to qualify.

The disappointing outcome has intensified scrutiny on the Malian coach, who took over the reins from Augustine Eguavoen.

Elijah was adamant that Chelle has not fulfilled his key objective and must be dismissed before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

"I am a coach, and for me, yes, he should be sacked because he did not give us the World Cup ticket," Elijah stated.

"If coach Eguavoen, who is well qualified, has played for the national team, captained the national team, and gone to the Nations Cup, could be told to step aside because he lost a match... that is when they asked Chelle to come and take over," Elijah explained.

"They felt [Eguavoen] could not qualify for the World Cup. They felt he lost some vital matches, so if they could ask coach Eguavoen to step aside, then [Chelle] should step aside too.

"What are we looking for? If we cannot go to the World Cup, then he has no business being the national team coach," he concluded.

Despite the World Cup setback, Nigeria is set to compete in the upcoming AFCON, where they are drawn in Group C alongside Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania.