Former Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr has warned the new head coach of Nigeria’s men’s national team Eric Chelle that securing ahead of the 2026 World Cup will be no easy task, Soccernet.football reports.
Rohr, who managed the Super Eagles of Nigeria from 2016-2021 and helped the team qualify for the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, fired his warning while speaking with Nigerian news outlet Nation Sports.
Now in charge of Benin Republic’s national team, the German also offered his best wishes to Chelle, who was appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) earlier this month.
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“Of course, I know Eric Sékou Chelle is now with Nigeria and good luck to him,” the 71-year-old gaffer said.
“It’s not going to be easy (for Chelle) to qualify for the World Cup of course. But of course, everything is still possible.”
Rohr’s observation regarding the task at hand is not far from the truth. The German himself orchestrated a big upset during the early stages of the qualifying campaign after guiding Benin to victory against a star-studded Nigeria side.
The Super Eagles currently sit in fifth place in their World Cup 2026 qualification group, having secured only three points from their first four matches in Group C.
They trail the likes of South Africa, Rwanda and Benin, who each have seven points, as well as Lesotho, who occupy fourth place after securing four points. Zimbabwe sit rock-bottom of the group having managed just one measly point.
With Nigeria already far off the pace in the race for qualification, Chelle will have to find a quick remedy for the Super Eagles’ misfiring front line if he is to get the best out of our abundantly talented attacking arsenal and secure World Cup qualification.
