OFFICIAL: Details as Eric Chelle hands over Olympic Eagles to assistants ahead of DR Congo qualifiers

In June 2026, the National Sports Commission (NSC) announced that Eric Sekou Chelle, head coach of Nigeria's senior men's national team, the Super Eagles, would also take charge of the country's U-23 side, the Olympic Eagles.

The decision, however, left many Nigerian football fans with one big question: How would the Malian combine both roles?

With the Super Eagles set to continue their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this November against Tanzania, while the Olympic Eagles begin their 2027 U-23 AFCON qualifying campaign in the same month, it was clear that Chelle would only be able to take charge of one team at a time.

Ademola Sports understands that Eric Chelle has now handed over the Olympic Eagles to his assistants, Deniran Ortega and Bright Ozebagbe, with Ortega expected to take the lead in managing the team.

The development was confirmed by the team's Media Officer, Niyi Busari, during an interview on News Central TV.

The Olympic Eagles have been in closed camping at the Remo Stars facility in Ikenne for about two weeks, and during the final week of preparations, Chelle handed over the team to his two assistants, only stepping in periodically to make corrections.

We also understand that the Olympic Eagles are not expected to adopt Chelle's trademark diamond formation, with the team most likely to operate in a 4-3-3 system under the supervision of Ortega and Ozebagbe.

Recall that Nigeria's Super Eagles faced Russia in an international friendly in October, with a significant number of players from the U-23 setup included in the squad.

It is understood that Chelle had communicated to these players during the Russia friendly that the majority of them would return to the Olympic Eagles squad for the upcoming DR Congo qualifiers.

Speaking on the composition of the squad, Busari explained the coach's preference for a strong home-based presence in defence and goalkeeping, while relying on foreign-based players further up the pitch.

"In the squad, from the seven defenders, the home based team have three defenders, while four are foreign based. In terms of goalkeepers, there are two from the NPFL, and one foreign based.

"From the goalkeeping to the defence line, the coach wants a situation where they are NPFL players because of the strength needed for African football, while the midfield and the attack would be made up of foreign based players," Busari said.

Eric Chelle has now left the Olympic Eagles camp in Ikenne for the Super Eagles camp in Uyo, handing over full responsibility to Deniran Ortega and Bright Ozebagbe.

The home-based Olympic Eagles are scheduled to depart Nigeria today, with the foreign-based players expected to join the team in Lubumbashi ahead of Friday's first-leg encounter against DR Congo.

The two-legged fixture will determine Nigeria's progress in the race for a place at the 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, which will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.