Super Eagles coach: ‘He wants to blackmail us’ – Fans explode as Chelle tables $130k monthly terms

The Nigerian football community has been sharply divided over reports that Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle submitted a 19-point agenda, Afrik Foot reports.

This includes a monthly salary of around $130,000, as part of contract extension talks with the Nigeria Football Federation.

The figure, said to cover Chelle, his technical staff, and a personal assistant, has generated widespread debate on social media and sports platforms.

Critics argue the request is excessive given Nigeria’s recent performance, including a bronze finish at AFCON 2025 and failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Chelle is trying to blackmail Nigeria – Gara-Gombe

Per multiple reports circulating on X (formerly Twitter), former Gombe State FA chairman Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe led the backlash with a strong statement:

“This man just came to Nigeria to boost his CV. I said it before that the Super Eagles is too big for Chelle. The Super Eagles raised Chelle to the global stage, not him raising the team, and he now wants to ‘blackmail’ us. With the players Nigeria have, we are even the ones to ask a coach like Eric Chelle to pay us ‘privileged fees’. If we retain this man for this amount, Nigeria will regret it.”

🚨🇳🇬 Former Gombe State FA chairman Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe has blasted Eric Chelle’s reported €130,000 monthly salary demand, warning it could backfire on Nigeria.

“This man just came to Nigeria to boost his CV. I said it before that the Super Eagles is too big for Chelle.… pic.twitter.com/LuXeHcMupy

— Super Eagles Supporters Club (@official_esclub) February 22, 2026

His comments were widely shared across fan pages and X accounts, framing much of the criticism of the reported salary demand.

Super Eagles coaching role: Supporters defend Chelle’s requests

While the $130,000 monthly salary has dominated much of the debate, several football fans and analysts on X defended parts of Chelle’s 19-point agenda, arguing that many of the items are standard professional requirements rather than extravagances.

User @JessyGn72710 insisted, “How senseless Nigerians will say this is too much. Eric Chelle literally asking for what is right and basic. You don’t value what you have till it’s gone.”

Others posed questions or offered context on the requests:

@Gamefocuz asked, “Eric Chelle lays out a 19-point list for his NFF contract extension. Is he asking for too much?” Meanwhile, @FansTribeHQ highlighted the practical nature of some demands, noting, “Projector for analysis no dey and this is a basic thing every coach should have…”

Supporters with professional insights also weighed in:

@AgentZee10, a FIFA-licensed agent and scout, said, “The 19 requests from Eric Chelle are not too much, they’re standards. These are things that should have been in place years ago. If we truly want Nigerian football to stop declining and start progressing again, structure must come first.”

Similarly, @FootballTalkNaija emphasised that several points, such as early salary payment, were “professional necessities, not luxury perks.”

Taken together, these reactions suggest that while the headline salary figure has caused outrage, many of the other conditions—including no interference in team selection, proper office setup, family flights, and staff inclusion in bonuses—are widely regarded as reasonable and even overdue for Nigeria’s national team setup.

NFF under pressure as negotiations continue

The Nigeria Football Federation has reportedly dismissed some of the exaggerated claims about Chelle’s requests, and talks are ongoing.

Still, the controversy has intensified scrutiny of the federation’s negotiation approach and placed Chelle’s future with the Super Eagles in the spotlight.

For now, neither Chelle’s camp nor the NFF has commented, while fans await a final decision on his future ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming matches against Iran and Jordan.