Nigeria Coach Prepared For Sacking If Super Eagles Lose To Bafana

Nigeria’s coach, Eric Chelle, stated that he is prepared to be fired if the Super Eagles fail to beat Bafana Bafana, accepting it as part of the job.

Chelle was appointed in January with the primary goal of leading Nigeria to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Since taking over, he is unbeaten in three qualifying matches, with two wins and a draw.

The team heads into Tuesday’s game with high morale after a 1-0 victory over Rwanda i Uyo on Saturday, a result that boosted their qualification hopes.

Nigeria currently has 10 points after seven matches, six points behind Group C leaders Bafana Bafana.

Chelle’s Stance on the Match

At a press conference on Monday, Chelle was asked if a loss to Bafana Bafana would spell the end for his and Nigeria’s World Cup ambitions. “This is the job, this is a job of a lot of coaches,” he replied.

“This is like that. I’m only focused… on this game. My only focus is about my players. If the end of the story comes, this is football, I’m prepared for that.”

The coach even joked about his future, saying, “Maybe two or three years, I will be the coach of South Africa,” which drew laughter from the journalists present.

The match between Bafana Bafana and Nigeria will take place at Toyota Stadium on Tuesday night.

It is a critical game for both teams as only the group winner automatically qualifies for the World Cup, with the four best runners-up getting a second chance via a play-off round.