Super Eagles Coach Breaks Silence After Nigeria’s CHAN Disaster, Says “I Am No Longer in Charge”
By The9jaTREND
Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles, popularly called the CHAN Eagles, endured a nightmare campaign at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
After a narrow 1-0 loss to Senegal in their opening game, the team crumbled in spectacular fashion against Sudan, suffering a humiliating 4-0 defeat that sealed their early exit from the tournament.
According to Soccernet, the heavy loss sparked backlash from fans and pundits, with many questioning the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) decision to hand over the team to Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle.
Nigerians complained about the sidelining of Daniel Ogunmodede of Remo Stars and Fidelis Ilechukwu of Enugu Rangers, who were initially in charge of the team before Chelle’s arrival.
With just one group match left against Congo, which is now a dead rubber, Nigeria’s CHAN journey has effectively ended before it ever really began.
While frustrations mount for the technical crew, assistant coach Daniel Ogunmodede has chosen to stand firmly behind Eric Chelle.
In an interview with journalist Osasu Obayiuwana as seen on X (formerly Twitter), Ogunmodede dismissed any notion of turning against his boss despite being “no longer in charge” of the team’s decisions.
“Many people are expecting me to say negative things about my head coach (Eric Chelle), because I am no longer in charge of the team and we are not doing well at CHAN 2024,” Ogunmodede said.
“I will never do that. I am his assistant and I accepted to do this job. I stand with him, and I sink with him. That is what loyalty and professionalism is about.”
His comments come amid reports that both Ogunmodede and Ilechukwu have had little influence over player selection and tactics, despite possessing greater experience working with Nigeria’s home-based players.
Nonetheless, Ogunmodede has emphasised loyalty over blame, stressing his commitment to the coaching project under Chelle.
With the CHAN campaign certainly over, attention now turns to the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September.
Nigeria will face Rwanda and South Africa in matches that could determine the country’s qualification hopes after a poor display in the qualifiers.
Nigeria have managed just one win in six matches and are currently fourth in Group B, six points behind leaders South Africa with only four games left.
The stakes are incredibly high, as anything less than victory could spell trouble for Chelle and his coaching team.
Despite the disappointment of CHAN, both Ogunmodede and Ilechukwu are expected to remain part of the technical staff when the qualifiers resume in September.
Ideye, who recently parted ways with NPFL club Enyimba, disclosed that the boys were not good enough.
