Nigeria hires ex-Mali coach Éric Chelle amid World Cup qualifying struggles
FILE - Mali's coach Eric Chelle looks on prior the African Cup of Nations quarter final soccer match between Mali and Ivory Coast, at the Peace of Bouake stadium in Bouake, Ivory Coast, on Feb. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Sunday Alamba]
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria has made Éric Chelle the latest in a series of coaches for its men’s national team as it risks missing out on the 2026 World Cup. The Nigeria Football Federation says its executive committee decided Tuesday to hire Chelle. He has international experience after coaching Mali from 2022 through last year. The 47-year-old Chelle takes over a team which has just three points from its first four World Cup qualifying games. Nigeria next plays Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March. Nigeria last qualified for the men’s World Cup in 2018.
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