Garba Lawal insists NFF have final say on Chelle's future despite Ndidi backing

Former Nigeria international Garba Lawal in an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa has reacted to calls by Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi for head coach Eric Chelle to be handed a new contract, insisting the final decision rests with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Ndidi had urged the NFF to retain Chelle following Nigeria’s campaign at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where the Super Eagles finished third, scoring 14 goals and conceding four.

Nigeria kept clean sheets throughout the knockout phase and were unbeaten in regulation and extra time, with their only loss coming via a penalty shootout defeat to hosts Morocco.

“For continuity, I feel like they should keep the coach because he is a wonderful manager; the only thing we need in this team is continuity. We should not change things now because we did not make it to the final; we should remain focused because there are so many competitions ahead,” Ndidi said during media conference.

‘Follow the course’: Wilfred Ndidi urges NFF to back Eric Chelle for the future

Speaking to Footy-Africa, Lawal said the captain is entitled to his opinion but stressed that contractual decisions are not the responsibility of players.

“The captain can have an opinion, but he’s not the one that employed the coach. The NFF employed him and they will decide if he should continue,” Lawal exclusively told Footy-Africa.

Chelle was originally mandated to guide the Super Eagles to at least the semi-finals, a target he met, although Nigeria failed to reach the final as they did at the 2023 AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire.

Lawal praised the impact Chelle has had on the team’s style of play.

“He has done well and brought attacking football to the team, and that’s why we scored a lot of goals. Teams are scared of us,” he added.

However, the former midfielder admitted that judging Chelle’s overall performance is not straightforward.

“It’s difficult, because last AFCON we got to the final and this time we played well and managed to pick bronze. That’s football for you. He has done well overall, but the NFF will decide if he should continue,” he concluded.