Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has reportedly taken a second wife in a private ceremony in Mali, Footynaija.com reports.
Chelle, 48, was born in Abidjan to a French father and a Malian mother, and has always maintained deep ties to Mali, having represented the country as a player and later coached the national team between 2022 and 2024.
He is a practising Muslim, having followed his mother’s religion, a faith that permits polygamy under certain conditions. The new bride is a Malian national reportedly in her 30s, and Chelle is said to be currently in Bamako with her.
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The Super Eagles coach is understood to have been married to a French woman for 25 years, and the couple have twins, a boy and a girl. He has always kept his personal life away from public view, with next to nothing known about his family before this report emerged.
The timing of the report adds an interesting dimension to an already complicated few weeks for the 48-year-old. He is currently at the centre of speculation over his future with the Super Eagles after reportedly asking the Nigeria Football Federation to raise his monthly salary from $50,000 to $130,000, a request the NFF turned down.
Reports from France have also linked him to the vacant managerial position at FC Nantes in Ligue 1, where he has gone as far as switching to a Nantes-connected agency to strengthen his chances of landing the role.
Neither Chelle nor his representatives have commented on the marriage reports.
