Chelle appoints two assistants for Olympic Eagles
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has appointed Bright Osehai Ozebagbe and Deniran Ortega as his two assistant coaches for the Nigerian Olympic Eagles.
The appointments were disclosed by the National Sports Commission (NSC) on Tuesday as Nigeria begins preparations for the qualifying campaign for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Chelle, who was also handed responsibility for the Nigeria U-23 team earlier this year, said he was pleased to have both coaches join his technical team.
The Franco-Malian tactician described Ozebagbe and Ortega as promising young Nigerian coaches with impressive profiles and experience.
Who are Chelle’s new assistants?
Ozebagbe currently serves as the technical adviser of NPFL side Ikorodu City. The coach helped the Lagos-based club compete for a continental ticket last season, although they narrowly missed out on qualification on the final day.
Ortega, meanwhile, is a UEFA-licensed coach who received training from the Scottish Football Association. He is also part of the coaching staff of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, the country’s U-20 men’s national team.
The two coaches bring different experiences to Chelle’s Olympic Eagles setup, with Ozebagbe offering domestic club experience while Ortega has worked within Nigeria’s youth national-team structure.
Chelle begins Olympic Eagles preparations
Chelle has already briefed the leadership of the National Sports Commission on his plans for the Olympic Eagles.
The team is expected to begin camping in Abuja ahead of the qualifiers, which are scheduled to start in November 2026. Nigeria’s objective is to secure qualification for the men’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The Olympic Eagles have missed the last two men’s Olympic football tournaments after failing to qualify for Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Nigeria last featured in the men’s Olympic football tournament at Rio 2016, where the country won the bronze medal.
Chelle targets Olympic qualification
The appointment of Ozebagbe and Ortega represents an important step in Chelle’s plans for the U-23 team.
The coach has been tasked with building a strong Olympic Eagles squad while also creating a pathway for talented young players to eventually progress into the Super Eagles.
The National Sports Commission is targeting qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics and has also expressed its ambition for Nigeria’s Olympic football teams to compete for a podium finish.
With preparations expected to begin soon, Chelle and his newly assembled technical team will now turn their attention to identifying players and building a squad capable of navigating the Olympic qualifying campaign.
Nigeria will hope the new setup can end the country’s recent absence from Olympic men’s football and restore the Olympic Eagles to the global stage in 2028.
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