CHAN: Ex-Nigeria striker Brown Ideye defends under fire coach Eric Chelle

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has come under sharp criticism following the home based Super Eagles’ heavy loss to Sudan at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

Sudan inflicted a 4-0 defeat on the Super Eagles in the second Group D game with a 25th minute own goal from Leonard Ngenge plus a double from Abdel Raouf and Walieldin Khidir’s 44th minute penalty kick.

The result, which ended Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the next phase of the competition, has elicited uproar from several nationals with many calling for the head of coach Chelle. However, former Super Eagles forward Brown Ideye has jumped to the defence of the ex-Mali trainer.

“Let’s keep lying to ourselves and keep blaming someone else every time we fail. We’re not good enough, that’s the bitter truth. It’s what you have, the coach will work with, period. And we don’t have what it takes to compete on the bigger stage. And we keep lying to ourselves,” Ideye wrote on X.

Let’s keep lying to ourselves and keep blaming someone else every time we fail. We’re not good enough that’s the bitter truth. It’s what you have the coach will work with period. And we don’t have what it takes to compete on the bigger stage.

And we keep lying to ourselves.

— Brown Aide Ideye (MON) (@brownaideideye) August 13, 2025

The Super Eagles B team will now have a chance to at least end the tournament with a positive result when they face Congo in their final Group D match at CHAN 2024, billed for Tuesday, August 19.