Nigeria Will Regret It – Gara-Gombe Warns NFF Against Paying Coach $130,000 Salary
Eric Chelle, earning around $50,000 monthly, has less than 12 months remaining on his current contract with the Nigeria Football Federation.

Eric Chelle

Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe, ex-chairman of the Gombe State Football Association, has strongly criticized the NFF’s potential decision to extend Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle’s contract.

Chelle, whose current deal expires in under a year, reportedly seeks a massive pay raise to $130,000 per month alongside 19 other conditions for renewal.

Gara-Gombe firmly opposes this move, stating that retaining Chelle would be detrimental to Nigerian football.

The football administrator accused the Malian-French coach of exploiting his newfound prominence after leading Nigeria’s national team.

“It’s completely unacceptable,” Gara-Gombe told The Guardian.

He further remarked: “Chelle joined Nigeria merely to boost his credentials. The Super Eagles deserve better than him. Now he’s trying to pressure us after gaining international exposure.

“With Nigeria’s caliber of players, we should be charging coaches like Chelle for the privilege of working with such talent.”

Gara-Gombe also dismissed rumors of Marseille’s interest in Chelle as baseless, labeling the coach’s contract demands as excessive.

“If he wants to leave, we shouldn’t stop him. His impact has been negligible. Nigeria would regret matching these outrageous demands.”