“He has to wait” – NFF President speaks on Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles future

President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has weighed in on Eric Chelle’s future with the Super Eagles amidst interest from other clubs and nations, Afrik Foot reports.

Chelle, after a brilliant AFCON 2025 campaign with the Nigerian National Team in Morocco, had offers from Angola and Tunisia, but chose to turn them down.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, many nations are still looking to poach him, but the NFF President has revealed he’s firmly behind Eric Chelle.

NFF President speaks on Eric Chelle’s future

The Franco-Malian tactician has been linked with a move to Olympique Marseille after the one-time UEFA Champions League winners parted ways with Roberto De Zerbi.

However, Mr Gusau has clarified that Chelle has a year left on his Super Eagles contract, assuaging fears that the manager might vacate his position.

“We still have a one-year contract with Eric. Therefore, whatever interest anyone shows in him, he has to wait until his contract expires,” the 61-year-old told NFF Media.

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“Basically, we don’t want him to have any distractions because we understand that he loves working with Nigeria,” Mr Gusau continued.

“It’s not about the interest from the other teams or because he’s gotten some good results with the Super Eagles; the issue is whether the other teams have the materials to create a good working environment for him.

“The dream of every coach is to make sure success is achieved, especially in bigger tournaments.

“I know Coach Eric believes in the Super Eagles, and he knows he can achieve whatever he wants in his career with Nigeria. We discussed it several times with him.

“We believe in him, and when the time comes, we’ll let the Nigerians know the way forward,” the NFF President concluded.

Whether or not a concrete offer will be made by Marseille towards the former RC Lens defender is currently unknown at the minute, but the Nigerian head coach is currently one of the most sought-after managers at the moment.