Both coach Eric Chelle and the Home-based Eagles have come under heavy fire after they crashed out of the delayed African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024) following a 4-0 thrashing by Sudan.

“The coach has to share in the blame because he is in charge of the team,” blasted former Super Eagles defender Ifeanyi Udeze.

“The team were a disgrace. The players have shown they’re not good enough to be called up by the Super Eagles.

“They failed to take the opportunity they got through the CHAN.”

Former NPFL star Victor Ezeji was equally critical of the team.

“They were very, very poor,” he lamented.

“They have kept disappointing us.”

Journalist Eze Chukwu said Eric Chelle ought not to have led the team to CHAN.

“The coaches who qualified the team for the tournament ought to have been allowed to take full charge,” he said.

“The bigger worry now is how this scandalous outing will impact on our World Cup qualifiers next month with Eric Chelle still in charge of the Super Eagles.”

However, a former Super Eagles  defender, Brown Ideye who returned home to play in the domestic league exonerated the coach from any blame over Nigeria’s ouster.

Writing on his @brownaideideye handle on X  social media platform yesterday, Ideye insisted: “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. It’s what you have that 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,” concludes the Edo-born player who played last season in the domestic NPFL with Enyimba of Aba.

Nigeria will welcome Rwanda to Uyo on September 6, before they fly out to South Africa three days later in crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

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