Eric Chelle Admits Nigeria Was Not Ready for CHAN 2024

Despite Nigeria’s early exit from the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024, head coach Eric Chelle has offered a candid assessment of the team’s performance, admitting that the squad was not adequately prepared for the tournament.

Speaking after Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Congo in their final group match at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Chelle emphasized that the lack of long-term planning and mental readiness undermined the Eagles’ campaign.

‘The preparations for a CHAN tournament should start a year in advance,’ Chelle said. ‘We weren’t ready to participate in this tournament. Whoever attends our training sessions will notice that our players weren’t mentally prepared to participate in this version of the tournament.’

Chelle cited the late inclusion of Alex Young Oyowah, who was named Man of the Match against Congo, as evidence of the rushed squad assembly.

‘The player who won the Man of the Match award against Congo, Alex—I put him on our list for the tournament a week before we left,’ he explained. ‘Everyone said, ‘Why did you call him up when he’s not known?’’

While Nigeria’s elimination was confirmed before the final match, Chelle found solace in the team’s spirited performance, which he described as a reflection of their true potential.

‘We showed our technical ability in the last part of the match, but we lost several balls before that,’ he noted. ‘In any case, we played well. Our performance was great and we deserved to win the match.’

‘I really feel sorry because our last match was good, but the previous two matches had mistakes. We started at a high speed and had a lot of possession.’

Chelle praised the resilience of his youthful squad, referring to them as ‘young cubs’ who responded admirably under pressure.

‘I don’t think my cubs let me down,’ he said. ‘The pressure was high on these young players, and they sometimes played scared. But during the last match against Congo, they played for honor, and that’s why they performed well.’

‘Letdown doesn’t come from winning this match. Our players responded to the previous results and said they didn’t want to go home with zero points.’