Former Gombe State Football Association Chairman, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe, has launched a scathing critique of the Nigeria Football Federation’s potential move to extend Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle’s contract. Chelle, who currently earns $50,000 monthly, reportedly submitted a 19-point proposal demanding a massive pay rise to $130,000 alongside luxury perks like a private chauffeur, 24-hour electricity, and business-class travel for his family. Gara-Gombe insists that the NFF would commit a strategic blunder by meeting these terms, arguing that the coach has already used the Nigerian platform to artificially inflate his international profile.
The veteran administrator characterized the Malian tactician’s reported demands as a form of professional leverage following the Super Eagles’ third-place finish at the 2025 AFCON. Gara-Gombe dismissed rumors linking Chelle to Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille as a “phantom story” designed to pressure the federation into a costly renewal. With less than a year remaining on Chelle’s current deal, Gara-Gombe believes Nigeria holds the upper hand and should not feel intimidated by the threat of his departure.
“I don’t believe it is okay,” Gara-Gombe stated in an interview with The Guardian. “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 further contended that the team’s recent successes stem from individual player brilliance rather than Chelle’s tactical impact. He urged the NFF to prioritize home-grown coaching education instead of overpaying a foreign manager who failed to meet his primary targets of winning the AFCON and qualifying for the 2026 World Cup through the automatic slots. As the NFF Technical Committee reviews the proposal, Gara-Gombe warned that the nation would face long-term regret if it commits to such an “outrageous” financial package.
“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,” he concluded. The NFF has yet to issue a final decision on the matter, but Secretary General Dr. Mohammed Sanusi recently confirmed that the federation already provides Chelle with furnished accommodation and a driver in Abuja, contradicting some of the coach’s new requests.
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