If Eagles Fail To Qualify For W’Cup, Hold NFF, Not Chelle – Okpala

Former Super Eagles player Sylvanus Okpala has said Nigerians should blame the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) if the national team doesn’t qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The former assistant coach of the team expressed concerns about the timing of Eric Chelle’s appointment as head coach and stressed that making it to the World Cup must be the main goal.

The NFF, on Monday, announced Chelle, a former Mali defender, as the new coach of the Super Eagles.

However, Okpala criticized the NFF for hiring a new coach in the middle of the qualifiers. He warned them not to use this as an excuse if things go wrong.

“They shouldn’t come later and say that things were already bad before Chelle was hired. If that was the case, they could have waited until after the qualifiers to make a change,” he added.

Okpala made it clear that qualifying for the World Cup should come first. “If we don’t qualify for the World Cup, then we have failed,” Okpala told Brila FM in an interview monitored by our correspondent.

“The NFF has the right to choose any coach they want, but they must make sure he succeeds. If Chelle doesn’t get us there, everyone, including the NFF, has failed.”

The Eagles missed the 2022 World Cup after losing to Ghana, leaving many fans disappointed. Okpala said missing the 2026 World Cup would be even worse.

“Nigeria cannot afford to miss the World Cup twice in a row. It would be a big disaster for our football. But we still have six games left, so there’s hope if we do the right things,” he said.