Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has addressed rumours connecting him with a potential move to Olympique de Marseille, insisting he never held direct talks with the French club.
In an interview on the podcast Histoires de foot, Eric Chelle clarified that any contact was initiated by his representatives rather than the club itself.
“I had absolutely no contact with the OM management,” Chelle stated. He explained that his agency explored opportunities across Europe in an effort to advance his coaching career.
“My agents decided to sound out some clubs in Europe, particularly in France,” the Super Eagles coach said. “At that time, OM was looking for a coach. My agency contacted the club to offer me the position. We didn’t do anything further.”
Chelle emphasised that he neither requested publicity nor participated in any shortlist process. “You’d have to ask my agent if I was on a list or not. Since I’m from the region, I talked with a few friends who asked me if I’d be interested. I’m an OM supporter, and if someone asks me if I’d like it, of course. But under no circumstances did I ask for any publicity about it. With social media, it just blew up.”
The Malian coach took charge of the Super Eagles in January 2025 on a two-year contract and successfully guided the side to third place at the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
