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Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle firmly defended his decision to impose a three-day media blackout on training sessions. He spoke on Sunday ahead of Nigeria’s crucial Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 match against Mozambique.
The former Mali international stressed that the move serves a purely professional purpose. Chelle wants to shield players from distractions and prevent tactical leaks at this critical knockout stage.
Chelle explained his reasoning clearly. “This is because I want to let my team stay focused. We have a goal and we have an objective,” he said. He added a practical note. “If I open all the training sessions and then we lose, people will say I am crazy.
“The Super Eagles train in Fes, Morocco. Journalists faced restrictions for three consecutive days, from Thursday through Saturday. Media teams could only watch the first 15 minutes of Sunday’s session, as AFCON rules require. Chelle extended the ban to content creators specifically.
“No content creator will be allowed coverage of our training to avoid leaking our tactics to opponents, until after three days,” Chelle declared.
He emphasized protection. “Our tactics must be protected and not be allowed to leak out.” Nigeria enters the matchup as favorites after a strong group stage performance. The team secured wins, including a 3-1 victory over Uganda.
