Stop the Blame Game – Super Eagles legend backs Eric Chelle after CHAN shame

Super Eagles icon and 2013 AFCON winner Brown Ideye has come to the defence of Franco-Malian coach Eric Chelle following Nigeria's disastrous outing at CHAN 2024. 

Amid widespread calls for Chelle’s sacking after Nigeria’s poor performance, Ideye took to social media platform X to deliver a stark message to Nigerian football fans and critics.

Chelle was powerless as Nigeria’s Super Eagles suffered a devastating defeat to Sudan in their CHAN 2024 second group match. 

The Eagles suffered a 4-0 defeat that has ultimately decided Nigeria’s fate in the competition heading into the final clash against Congo.

However, according to former Premier League striker Ideye, Malian coach is not the problem despite zero goals and zero points in two matches.

“Let’s keep lying to ourselves and keep blaming someone else every time we fail. We’re not good enough, that’s the bitter truth,” Ideye stated on his X account. 

“It’s what you have the coach will work with period. And we don’t have what it takes to compete on the bigger stage. And we keep lying to ourselves.”

The former Super Eagles striker, who recently drew attention for criticising the poor welfare of NPFL players, emphasised that the limitations in the current domestic football environment mean coaches like Chelle can only work with the available talent. 

His comments paints a broader picture of the issues within Nigerian football, the struggle to develop and maintain players capable of competing strongly on continental and global stages.

Ideye's defence of Chelle comes in the wake of intense backlash from fans demanding the sack of the coach following the defeat. 

However, Ideye’s viewpoint challenges the narrative that coaching alone is to blame, instead calling for a clearer-eyed assessment of the domestic player pool and structural issues in Nigerian football.