Eric Chelle will officially commence his tenure as Nigeria national team head coach alongside three assistant coaches including Hedi Taboubi, Thomas Gornourec and Jean-Daniel Padovani after his unveiling by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) at M.K.O Abiola Stadium in Abuja, Soccernet.football reports.
Before taking on the Super Eagles job, Chelle was in charge of Algerian Ligue 1 side MC Oran. The 47-year-old however had a clause in his contract, stipulating that he could leave if a suitable offer from a national team was presented. This enabled the NFF to swoop in and acquire his services.
Taboubi, Gornourec and Padovani constituted Chelle’s back-room staff at MC Oran and the same trio will now form his coaching staff as he takes on the daunting task of leading the Nigeria national team to success.
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Hedi Taboubi will serve as the first assistant coach and video analyst during Chelle’s tenure as the Super Eagles gaffer. The 41-year-old Frenchman has worked closely with Chelle since 2021, assisting the new Eagles boss during his time in charge of the Malian national team as well as MC Oran.
Thomas Gornourec, who holds a UEFA A license and masters degree, will be the Nigeria national team fitness trainer. Meanwhile, Jean-Daniel Padovani who also served under Chelle in the Malian national team and at MC Oran as goalkeeping coach will now perform the same role with the Super Eagles.
The first task for these new Super Eagles coaches is to assist Chelle as he travels to Ikenne to oversee the activities of the Nigerian CHAN team, comprising players selected from the Nigeria Professional Football League, as they compete in the CHAN Championship set to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
