On Tuesday, the Nigeria Football Federation announced Eric Chelle as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.
Chelle will take over from Austin Eguavoen who has been in charge of the Super Eagles on an interim capacity.
As Nigerians look forward to what Chelle has to offer, here are 10 interesting facts about the Malian presented by Sportingtimes.ng’s Korede James…
Place of birth:
Eric Chelle was born on November 11, 1977, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire to a French father and a Malian mother.
Playing career:
During his playing career Chelle was a central defender who spent most of his career in France and featured for clubs like Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais.
International football:
He featured for the Eagles of Mali between 2004 and 2006 and made just five appearances.
Major international tournaments:
Chelle never featured for Mali at any major international tournaments, with his appearances coming in qualifiers.
Coaching career:
Chelle went into coaching after retiring from international football, and his first position was as an assistant for French club GS Consolat from 2014 to 2016.
Record as coach of Mali national team:
He was appointed head coach of the Mali national team in May 2022 and led them to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
Coaching record:
As a coach Chelle has won 67 games, drawn 40, and lost 41 in his managerial career, with a win percentage of 45.27%.
Last coaching job was Algerian club MC Oran:
Before his appointment as Super Eagles coach, Chelle was in charge of Algerian club MC Oran.
Chelle leaves MC Oran in 10th position in the 16-team Algerian league table.
Languages:
Chelle speaks French, English, and several African languages.
Viral TV moment at AFCON 2023:
Chelle is remembered for his reaction after Mali lost to Cote d’Ivoire at the AFCON 2023 quarter-finals.
After Mali conceded a late goal in second half extra-time, Chelle was seen squatting on the sideline in distress with his assistant pouring water on his head.
