Stakeholders demand equality for home-based coaches after Chelle’s $100k deal

Nigerian football stakeholders are calling for parity in remuneration for local coaches, drawing a parallel with the reported $100,000 monthly salary of Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle. The Franco-Malian coach has agreed to a new contract, which also includes fresh performance benchmarks and his oversight of the Dream Team for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics qualifiers.

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I have always advocated for equality. It does not matter where you are coming from, whether you reside in the country, whether you are a national or an expatriate. It is the same job.

Barrister Christopher Green, Rivers State Sports Commissioner and former NFF board member, advocated for equality, stating, “It does not matter where you are coming from, whether you reside in the country, whether you are a national or an expatriate. It is the same job.” He questioned the justification for Chelle's salary increase, particularly given Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, asking, “What has made him deserving of this increment? Are the Super Eagles at the World Cup? No, we are not there. That is the benchmark.”

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If you are paying Chelle $80,000 or $100,000 per month, the day you are no longer comfortable with him, or the day you fire him, I also want you to pay the same thing to any local coach you want to take over. It is the same job.

Plateau United head coach Gbenga Ogunbote echoed the sentiment, arguing that if the NFF increased Chelle’s salary to improve performance, the same logic should apply to indigenous coaches. Former Super Falcons assistant coach Mansur Abdullahi, however, was more sympathetic to Chelle’s expanded role and pay, citing the extensive monitoring of over 800 Nigerian players worldwide. Abdullahi acknowledged the demanding nature of the job but expressed concern about Chelle's dual role overseeing both the Super Eagles and the U-23 side.

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What has made him deserving of this increment? Are the Super Eagles at the World Cup? No, we are not there. That is the benchmark. He has taken charge of a team that did not go to the last World Cup, but he saw the job before he took it. Is he deserving of that? That is the question for everyone to answer.