Algerian club delay Chelle’s contract termination

New Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle is expected to terminate his two-year contract with Algerian club MC Oran ahead of his anticipated move to Nigeria but the club won’t decide his fate yet, even while he is expected in Nigeria to formalise his contract, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Chelle was announced as the new Super Eagles handler by the Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday, becoming the third man to be named for the role since the exit of Jose Peseiro in March 2024.

According to reports, the 47-year-old is expected in Nigeria anytime soon for his unveiling but he will still be in charge of the club during their Algerian Cup round of 32 match against USM Setif on Saturday.

Reports from Algeria also said he was still in charge of the club’s training session on Wednesday and travelled with the team for the game on Thursday.

“The plane carrying MC Oran took off early this morning for the capital before a second flight directly to Setif. Coach Eric Chelle in with a 20-player roster,” the club announced on Thursday via Facebook.

“The management of MC Oran has learned that after the meeting held this afternoon (Wednesday) with the coach of the first team Eric Chelle, it has been decided to postpone the decision on the matter of staying away from him until after the meeting of the Republic Cup against Setif, to preserve the stability and focus of the team on an important match.

“Coach Chelle will supervise the team at the cup meeting as normal, the club management confirms. A final meeting has to be held after he returns to Oran for class on this matter,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.

Chelle’s potential exit will deal more blow to the  10th-placed team’s stability in the Algerian topflight as they are also looking to appoint a new technical director.

The 47-year-old penned a two-year deal with the Algerian club in October 2024 when he replaced Youssef Bouzidi.

Before joining MC Oran, the Franco-Malian coach was in charge of the Mali national team until June 2024.

He led Mali to the quarter-finals of the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast, agonisingly losing the tie 2-1 against the hosts after leading 1-0 till stoppage time.

Chelle managed 14 wins, five draws and three defeats in 22 games in charge of Mali including beating Nigeria 2-0 in an international friendly in March 2024.

His work with Nigeria is cut out, with the Super Eagles having a mountain to climb in the remaining six matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which resumes in March.

Chelle is also expected to take charge of the Super Eagles B, composed of home-based stars for the 2024 African Nations Championship which will be held from February 1 to 28 in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.