Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle Owed Three Months Salary Ahead of AFCON 2025
Super Eagles Head Coach Eric Chelle is reportedly owed three months of salary and bonuses by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as preparations continue for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The Malian coach, who earns $55,000 per month, has not been paid for September, October and November. Despite this, he has not made any formal complaint to the NFF. In a radio interview in November, Chelle refused to confirm whether he was being owed, saying the issue was private and strictly between him and his employers.
The unpaid wages also affect his technical staff. Chelle is responsible for paying his hand-picked assistants, who joined him when he became Super Eagles head coach in January 2025.
Chelle led Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup playoff, where the team lost on penalties to DR Congo. During the qualification series in Morocco, the Super Eagles players boycotted training 48 hours before their semi-final match because of unpaid bonuses and allowances dating back to 2019.
Despite these issues, the Super Eagles improved under Chelle, recording four wins and two draws to finish second in Group C behind South Africa. Nigeria also achieved some of their best results in recent years, including a 4–1 win over Benin and a 4–0 victory against Gabon.
Chelle had taken a major pay cut to leave Algerian club MC Oran and sign a two-year deal with Nigeria. Last week, he met with the NFF technical committee in Abuja to finalise AFCON 2025 plans. Nigeria are in Group B, where they will face Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda.
The training camp, initially set for 8 December, will now begin on 15 December after FIFA changed the release date for players based outside Africa.
