The Yoruba say, ‘e don shele’ and here we welcome Eric Chelle, Super Eagles new manager, the Frenchified African who will leave a former ECOWAS nation, Mali, to touch down in Nigeria.
This is a case of an Eagle landing in Lagos, to soar with the Eagles. The Malians know their national soccer team, as Aiglons, which is French for Eagles. By way of introduction, Mali is not as backward in football as some Nigerians believe.
Chelle was not outstanding as a player but we know that the best players do not always turn out to be super managers. Diego Maradona could not win the World Cup for Argentina as a coach. The Argies literally waited for him to depart before another coach did it for them.
Many Nigerians are livid that a man from Mali has taken honey from the mouths of men like Emmanuel Amuneke, Sunday Oliseh, Daniel Amokachi and Ndubuisi Egbo. The best they remember about Chelle is the ouster of the Aiglons from the last African Nations Cup in Cote d’Ivoire.
In a match they were running away with victory, Mali lost control in the last minutes of the quarter finals as Cote d’Ivoire rose from despair to destiny. Chelle found it hard to swallow. He was almost ready to journey to the land of no return until his associates watered his head back to setting.
At the Cote d’Ivoire 2024 African Nations Cup, Mali defeated South Africa 2-0 in the early rounds and sent out Burkina Faso 2 -1, in the round of 16. Chelle did not take them to the podium but the West Africans were not disgraced. However, he was sacked later after being in charge for 22 games, winning 14, drawing five and losing three times.
Those who find it strange that a Malian has come over to take charge of the Nigerian national team, should be calm. Mali is neither Niger Republic nor Benin Republic. The Aiglons also deserve respect. They played in two continental finals, before Super Eagles.
At the Brazzaville 1965 All Africa Games, Mali lost to Congo, in the grande finale. Seven years later in Cameroon, the Aiglons romped into the grand finale of the African Nations Cup. Again,they slumped to Congo.
Nigeria’s first continental soccer finals came at the Lagos 1973 All Africa Games where the Green Eagles won gold. Eight years after Mali got silver in Cameroon, Nigeria became African Nations Cup winners, in Lagos. The venue, National Stadium Surulere, hosted both countries in the very first match to be played there.
There was something different about Mali’s African Nations Cup debut in 1972, nine years after Nigeria’s maiden appearance at Ghana 1963. The Aiglons did not lose any game until they fell 3-2 to Congo in the grand finale. Nigeria lost all first round matches in 1963.
Aiglons debut in 1972 came with records. Mamadou Keita emerged as the Highest Goals Scorer with 7 goals. The team scored 11 times, the most goals by any nation in that tournament. That squad had eight Traores and three Keitas.
The Congolese were formidable. A squad of Minga Pepe, Francois M’Pele, Paul Moukila, Jonas Bahamboula and Jean Bertrand Balekita could only be beaten by neighbours, Congo Democratic Republic, in one of the group matches.
As far back as 1970, Salif Keita, was crowned African Footballer of the Year. It took another eight years, for Emmanuel Okala to be so voted by the African Sports Journalists Union (ASJU). Mali is also the country of Frederic Kanoute, African Footballer of the Year, 2007.
Mali played in two consecutive African Champions League finals in 1965 and 1966 respectively. Stade Malien lost to Oryx Douala in 1965, Real Bamako fell to Stade Abidjan in 1966. Keita played in both finals and ended up losing, with two different teams.
Nigeria equalled and improved on that record, in 2003 and 2004 respectively, thanks to Enyimba who became African champions, winning the CAF Champions League and the African Super Cup.
Malians are no pushover. In 1999, they came to Nigeria, eliminated the Flying Eagles and finished as bronze medalists at the FIFA Under 20 Championships. Yes, Mali beat Nigeria in Enugu and Seydou Keita was voted Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Nigeria, with all their Joseph Yobo, Julius Aghahowa, Furo Iyenemi and Eddy Dombraye, could not go beyond the quarter finals.
Mamadou Dissa of Mali and Spain’s Pablo Canouga, each scored five goals to emerge top scorers but the European was awarded the Golden Boot. That was a competition that had the likes of Ronaldinho, Diego Forlan, Tim Howard, Shinji Ono and Ashley Cole.
Mali would have won the FIFA Under 17 Championships, Chile 2015, if they did not meet Nigeria in the grand finale. The Eaglets of Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Nwakali and Victor Chukwueze, were just too good. Osimhen grabbed the Golden Boot with 10 goals, Nwakali the Golden Ball and Mali’s keeper, Samuel Diarra, the Golden Gloves.
Cheik Kouyate and Oyo Orok Oyo, attended the CAF Congress for the first time, in 1963, but the Malian rose faster to join the CAF Executive Committee in 1968. The Nigerian only made it in 1972. Malians deserve some respect.
Eric Chelle may not be as white as Jose Peseiro. However, managing Nigeria is not too big a job for this man. Only NFF can explain the problem with Nigerian coaches.
