Outspoken sports critic, analyst and administrator, Alhaji Shaibu Gara Gombe has declared emphatically that the Super Eagles’ squad is ‘too big’ to handle by the team’s Franco-Malian coach, Eric Sekou Chelle.
Speaking against the backdrop of the Eagles’ 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe on Tuesday at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Gara opined that Chelle’s lack of technical depth caused the huge setback in Nigeria’s hope of picking a ticket to the next World Cup.
Sports247 gathered further that Gara, who is a former chairman of Gombe State Football Association and current boss of the state’s athletics governing body as well as a special adviser to the govenor, pointed out that he spoke against Chelle’s appointment from the word go.
Gara declared, “That team is too big for Eric Chelle. We just gave him a chance to improve his CV. I know he cannot handle that team, but it’s just unfortunate for a country like Nigeria (to hire him), and it shows that something is wrong somewhere.”
He then took a closer look at Tuesday’s match, in which Chelle tried to press Zimbabwe into submission with many attackers starting and others coming off the bench, only for him to leave the defence line open and vulnerable towards the end of 90 minutes, when The Warriors equalised.
“How can you have players like Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen, but you are struggling to beat Zimbabwe at home? It shows glaringly that there is technical deficiency somewhere. (It also shows that) this guy does not know anything, and he cannot handle that team,” Gara submitted
