“Nigerians would have sung his praises” – Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle told to shun critics

Former Nigeria international Dosu Joseph has called for calm following criticism of Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle after the team’s 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe in Uyo, Footynaija.com reports.

Chelle, who made history as the first non-Nigerian African to lead the Super Eagles, had earlier lifted the nation’s spirits with a commanding 2-0 away win against Group C leaders Rwanda in Kigali.

The victory was Nigeria’s first in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign and briefly raised hopes of a turnaround after a string of poor results.

This photo of Victor Osimhen, Kayode Bankole and Eric Chelle after the Zimbabwe draw

@PoojaMedia pic.twitter.com/iTnimEjfYB

— @ (@OneJoblessBoy) March 27, 2025

However, those hopes were dampened after Nigeria narrowly failed to secure back-to-back wins.

A late Zimbabwe equaliser denied Chelle’s side all three points at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, leaving fans and pundits frustrated as the Super Eagles remain outside the top two in their group.

But Dosu, a gold medalist from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, has urged Nigerians to remain supportive of the Malian tactician, insisting that results must be viewed in context.

“I don’t think it will be fair to start criticizing Eric Chelle’s tactics against Zimbabwe,” Dosu told Complete Sports. “He is the head coach, and he knows what is best for him to get a good result.

“Fine, the result didn’t go as expected, but then, Nigerians would have sung his praises if the team had won too.

“Whatever the case may be, I believe he would have learned one or two things ahead of other subsequent matches. We can only support him to qualify the Super Eagles to the 2026 World Cup.”

Nigeria Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle is a good coach but also very emotionally attached to teams he coaches.

His emotions run high yesterday as Zimbabwe scored that late equaliser to briefly stop Nigeria’s World Cup dream@soka25east pic.twitter.com/Ci483uQEWz

— Collins Okinyo (@bedjosessien) March 26, 2025

Chelle’s Eagles still have four games to play — including tricky fixtures against Rwanda, South Africa, Benin, and Lesotho — as they chase a spot in North America.