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Football fans of Enyimba Football Club of Aba have expressed fears that their team may become relegation candidates if it continues to produce poor results.
The fans were reacting to the 1–0 loss Enyimba suffered on Sunday at the hands of visiting Ikorodu City of Lagos.
The result leaves Enyimba in 14th position on the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) table with 31 points.
To arrest the poor performance, many of the fans have demanded that the Chairman of Enyimba, Kanu Nwankwo, and his players improve their performance or be removed from the club.
The fans, who spoke after the 1–0 defeat to Ikorodu City, expressed surprise that the former Nigerian and African champions have lost their sting.
“Enyimba is now giving away points in Aba,” one of the fans, Chukwuemeka Onwuka, fumed.
Other fans, including Chimaobi Williams, Godwin Kalu, and Benet Nwachukwu, also expressed shock that their team is still struggling despite having four coaches in the ongoing season.
The Eastern Updates recalls that Governor Alex Otti appointed a new Head Coach, Deutsch Emmanuel Gustave, and a new Sporting Director, Daniel Eke, as part of efforts to strengthen the Aba team.
The Nigeria Football Federation has rejected speculation about Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle’s future with the national team, insisting the Franco-Malian tactician remains fully committed to his role despite reported interest from other countries.
NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said Chelle is bound by a valid contract with one year remaining and emphasized that any potential suitors would need to wait until that agreement expires before approaching the coach. “We still have a one-year contract with Eric, and therefore whatever interest anybody will show on him, he has to wait until his contract expires,” Gusau said in an interview shared by the Super Eagles’ media team.
The clarification comes amid unconfirmed reports linking Chelle with national team positions elsewhere, though the NFF president did not identify specific countries or federations allegedly expressing interest. Gusau said the federation wants to shield Chelle from distractions and preserve momentum built under his leadership. He indicated that the coach is satisfied working with Nigeria and that the federation values the stability he has brought to the program. “We don’t want to bring some distraction on him, because we quite well understand that he enjoys working with Nigeria,” Gusau stated.
The NFF chief dismissed suggestions that Chelle’s career decisions should be driven primarily by financial incentives or the lure of short-term success with other teams.
“It’s not about a team is interested in you, and it’s not about because he has gotten the results with the Super Eagles. So if you go to the other team, despite the fact that they are going to give him more money, he’s going to get the results. That’s not the issue,” Gusau said. He argued that the critical factor for any coach is whether the available resources and talent pool can support their ambitions and career objectives.
“The issue is that do they have the materials for him to work with, to achieve what he wants to achieve. The dream of every single coach is to make sure that he achieves success, especially on higher tournaments,” the NFF president explained.
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Gusau contended that professional fulfillment should take precedence over salary considerations when coaches evaluate opportunities. “When you are saying that I want the coach, we are going to look for the coach to come and we are going to pay him a certain amount of money, it’s not the issue of the money, but will he achieve what he wants to achieve in his career? Or is he just going there for the money?” he asked.
According to Gusau, Chelle believes the Super Eagles offer the best platform for him to realize his coaching ambitions, particularly in continental competitions. “I know Coach Eric believes in Super Eagles, and he believes that he can achieve whatever he wants to achieve in his career, when it comes to coaching, preparation, especially with the national team within the African continent,” the federation president said. He added that Chelle has expressed confidence in his ability to fulfill his professional goals with Nigeria’s national team. “He has so much belief in the Super Eagles, and he has every confidence that he can achieve all his dreams with the Super Eagles. So that’s the key thing that I believe in, and I know we discussed it several times with him,” Gusau stated.
Chelle took charge of the Super Eagles in January 2025 following the departure of Finidi George. The former Mali international defender previously coached the Malian national team and had stints with clubs in France and North Africa before accepting the Nigeria assignment.
