Agent Denies Rumours That Chelle Has Dropped Victor Boniface

Eric Chelle’s agent, Sidibe, has denied reports that Victor Boniface is no longer needed in the Super Eagles squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Some reports claimed Chelle was unhappy with Boniface’s performance, especially his lack of pressing and defensive effort during Nigeria’s 1-1 friendly draw with Russia in Moscow on Friday.

Boniface played just over an hour in the match and has now gone 13 games without scoring for Nigeria.

After the match, the Bayer Leverkusen striker, known for his jokes and playful personality, made a light-hearted post online saying he was “retiring from international football.” The post, which was clearly a joke, has since been deleted but caused confusion among some fans and media outlets.

This led to rumours that Chelle no longer plans to invite Boniface for Nigeria’s matches in September.

When asked to comment, Sidibe told allnigeriasoccer.com:

“Eric is a professional—he doesn’t do things like that. If he had anything to say, you would hear it directly from him, maybe in an interview or audio clip.”

“Ninety-nine percent of the things they say he said are false. He only speaks during official press conferences before or after games.”

Boniface, 24, made his debut for Nigeria in September 2023 during an AFCON qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe.