Former chairman of the Gombe State Football Association, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe, has expressed his disapproval of the Nigeria Football Federation’s potential decision to renew the contract of Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle.
Chelle, who is currently on a monthly salary of about $50,000, has less than a year left on his existing contract.
Recent reports suggested that he has put forth 19 demands, including a substantial salary hike to $130,000, in exchange for extending his tenure with the team.
Speaking on the development, Gara-Gombe believes that granting Chelle a new contract would be a mistake for Nigeria.
He also criticized Chelle’s purported demands as an attempt to leverage his position after gaining international recognition through the Super Eagles.
I don’t believe it is okay,” Gara-Gombe stated in an interview with The Guardian.
He added: “Chelle came to Nigeria to enhance his CV (resume). Super Eagles are too big for him. He wants to ‘blackmail’ us after the Super Eagles put him on a global stage.
“With the players Nigeria possesses, we are even the ones to ask a coach like Eric Chelle to pay us ‘privileged fees’.”
Gara-Gombe also dismissed the rumored link between Chelle and Olympique Marseille as a fabricated narrative, insisting that his demands seem unrealistic.
“If he wishes to leave, let him go. I haven’t seen any [tangible] impact from him on the Super Eagles. If we retain Chelle at this amount, Nigeria will regret it.”
