Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have one goal as they head to AFCON 2025 in Morocco — to bring the trophy home. After a narrow 2–1 defeat to hosts Côte d’Ivoire in the last final, new head coach Eric Chelle says this time, the mission is redemption.
A Coach with Fire and Focus
Speaking to CAFonline, Chelle — the former Mali international now leading Africa’s most followed national team — made his intentions clear:
“Of course we want to win it. Personally, I want to win AFCON… The players feel the same. Since March, we’ve played every match under pressure — and that pressure has prepared us.”
Since taking over earlier this year, Chelle has blended Nigeria’s trademark flair with tactical discipline, restoring belief in a side that has often come close but fallen short since its last AFCON title in 2013.
The Road to Redemption
Drawn in Group C alongside Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania, Nigeria faces one of the tournament’s toughest tests. But Chelle insists there are no small teams at AFCON:
“It’s a festival — every nation arrives with a real chance. Our strength is that our players have suffered, then found a way through. That can really hurt opponents.”
The Super Eagles will kick off their campaign on December 23 in Fez against Tanzania’s Taifa Stars — the first step in their quest for a fourth continental crown.
The Bigger Picture: Africa’s Football Renaissance
Beyond competition, AFCON 2025 represents more than medals. It’s a showcase of Africa’s tactical evolution, local coaching talent, and youth development.
Chelle’s rise — from Mali’s bench to Nigeria’s dugout — mirrors a broader continental shift: Africa trusting Africa.
With giants like Morocco, Tunisia, and Côte d’Ivoire entering in top form, this year’s tournament promises a clash not just of teams, but of identities. Every match is a statement about what African football has become — faster, smarter, and unapologetically ours.