Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Abiodun Baruwa has urged the NFF to stick with Eric Chelle, backing the Franco-Malian tactician to guide Nigeria towards qualification for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, Footynaija.com reports.
The Super Eagles failed to secure a ticket to the ongoing Mundial in the United States, Mexico and Canada a disappointing qualification campaign marred by numerous early inconsistencies saw them fail to win any of their first four outings under Jose Peseiro and Finidi George.
Chelle’s appointment at the start of 2025 initially offered some glimmer of hope as there were noticeable improvements in both performances and results. But that slow start would come back to haunt the team as they finished second behind South Africa in their qualifying group.
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That second place finish gave the Super Eagles another lifeline via the CAF play-offs but a penalty shoot-out defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final consigned them to back-to-back World Cup misses.
Despite this, Baruwa, who was part of the Super Eagles squad to the 1998 World Cup in France, believes that the former Mali boss can deliver the 2030 FIFA World Cup ticket for the three-time African champions.
“I think he is a good coach for Nigeria,” he said in quotes revealed by Complete Sports. “If we stick with him, trust him, he will qualify us for the next World Cup. I believe in that.”
The next edition of the World Cup will be hosted across six different nations (Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay) and three different continents. The Super Eagles will be desperate to participate in this particular one after missing out on the last two editions.
