Super Eagles’ head coach, Eric Chelle, was in the stands on Friday night to watch Moses Simon and his Nantes side fall 2-0 to Brest in a Ligue 1 clash at the Stade de la Beaujoire. Simon, who has been a stalwart in the national team, started the match before being substituted in the 68th minute for Mechak Elia.
Following the defeat, Chelle, alongside his first assistant Hedi Taboubi, held a post-match discussion with Simon. The visit was part of Chelle’s ongoing European tour, where he has been meeting with key Super Eagles players in preparation for next month’s vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The Super Eagles will face the Amavubi of Rwanda in a matchday five encounter on March 21 at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali. The team is desperately seeking points to boost their chances of qualifying, as they currently sit in sixth place with just 3 points from 4 games—four points behind Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin.
Last Thursday, Chelle and Taboubi also visited Fulham’s Alex Iwobi and Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi, among others, in an effort to strengthen ties with the senior squad ahead of the back-to-back qualifiers. The team will host Zimbabwe on March 25 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
Chelle’s European visit has been described as a strategic effort to personally connect with the players, motivate them, and prepare for the crucial qualifiers. According to an NFF source, Chelle will continue meeting with more players in the coming days before returning to Nigeria.
