Garba Lawal: Chelle Deserves Super Eagles Contract Extension

Former Nigeria international Garba Lawal has backed Super Eagles head coach Eric Sekou Chelle for a contract extension, insisting the Malian tactician has done enough to continue leading the team.

Chelle, who was appointed in January 2025, took charge of Nigeria with six matches left in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. He guided the team to four wins and two draws, keeping their hopes alive through the CAF playoff ticket, though the Eagles eventually lost out to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Despite missing out on World Cup qualification, Chelle led Nigeria to a bronze medal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Under his watch, the Eagles became the highest-scoring side of the tournament, netting 14 goals, a style of play that won admiration from fans and pundits alike.

Lawal, who himself won a silver and three bronze medals at AFCON during his playing career, believes Chelle’s attacking philosophy and results justify continuity.

‘He did well, you cannot take that away from him. At least, he came up with an attacking team, the team that scored a lot of goals at the AFCON, which is good for the players and team. He did well, although we did not win the cup, he came third and there is nothing we can do. Football is continuity and whether we like it or not, that is that’ Lawal said.

The former midfielder added that Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup might have been avoided if the team had played with the same intensity they showed in Morocco.

‘They did their best, if they had played like this during the World Cup playoff, it would have been different. They realized their mistakes during the World Cup qualifiers and playoff and they said ‘let’s go to AFCON and show people that we are still Eagles’,’ he stated.