Eric Chelle has been appointed head coach of Nigeria's U-23 national team, the Dream Team, in addition to his role as head coach of the Super Eagles. The dual appointment was confirmed during a high-level meeting on Tuesday at the National Sports Commission headquarters in Abuja. Attendees included NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko, NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade, Nigeria Football Federation President Ibrahim Gusau, NFF General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, and Chelle. The move is described as a strategic effort to strengthen the country's football development structure and ensure alignment between the senior national team and the Olympic-bound squad. Chelle now oversees both teams as Nigeria aims to rebuild its U-23 presence on the global stage. Nigeria remains the only African nation to have won all three Olympic medals in men's football—gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games, silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. The Dream Team's last Olympic appearance was in Rio, and has not qualified since. The new arrangement places Chelle at the center of efforts to revive the team's international standing and continue the nation's Olympic football legacy.
Eric Chelle is now in charge of both the Super Eagles and the Dream Team, a rare dual role that stretches one coach across two critical national squads. He has not yet led either team to a major tournament victory under his current tenure. The decision to merge leadership roles comes without a stated plan for managing the workload across two age-grade systems. There is no precedent in recent Nigerian football history for a single head coach successfully delivering results at both senior and U-23 levels simultaneously.
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