‘Try to stamp his authority’ - Super Eagles legend advises Chelle on how to handle Nigeria players

Chelle was appointed as the head coach of the Super Eagles a few months ago, replacing Augustine Eguavoen, the interim coach.

Eguavoen qualified the Super Eagles for the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco but found it difficult to get the team going in the World Cup qualifiers.

Nigeria has struggled in World Cup qualifying, and Eric Chelle has been tasked with stabilising the team.

Eric Chelle, the new head coach of the Super Eagles, has been asked to prioritise player motivation as he leads Nigeria's national side.

Etafia says that Chelle's attempt to establish a rapport with his players is admirable, but he demands that the coach immediately force his identity on the group.

According to the Nation, he said, “I think trying to familiarise himself with the players, especially the established ones since he cannot reach out to everyone but the ones closer to each other in terms of location, is a good thing.

“But he (Chelle) has to try as much as possible to stamp his authority on the team generally, in terms of style of play and winning games, which is the most important thing.

“The first thing is for him to bring out the desire of the players to play for the national team, which is very important.”

Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 tournament in the US, Canada, and Mexico are in shambles after they lost all four of their World Cup qualifying matches.

The Super Eagles are now fifth in their group, behind South Africa, Rwanda, Benin, and Lesotho. Only the winners of their group will automatically qualify for the World Cup.

Nigeria has to win consecutive games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March to maintain their aspirations after going winless in four games.