Former chairman of the Gombe State Football Association, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe, has voiced his opposition to the Nigeria Football Federation over its possible move to extend the contract of Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle.
Chelle, who is currently on a monthly salary of about $50,000, has less than a year left on his existing contract.
Recent reports suggested that he has put forth 19 demands, including a substantial salary hike to $130,000, in exchange for extending his tenure with the team.
Speaking on the development, Gara-Gombe believes that granting Chelle a new contract would be a mistake for Nigeria.
He also criticized Chelle’s purported demands as an attempt to leverage his position after gaining international recognition through the Super Eagles.
“I don’t believe it is okay,” Gara-Gombe stated in an interview with The Guardian.
He added: “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 also dismissed the rumored link between Chelle and Olympique Marseille as a fabricated narrative, insisting that his demands seem unrealistic.
“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.”
