Nigeria Coach in Emotional Statement: 'I Apologize to My Mother and Father... I Might Have Retired from Coaching'

Eric Chelle, Nigeria's national team coach, made an emotional statement after his team secured third place in the Africa Cup of Nations, following their victory over Egypt in Saturday's third-place play-off.

Chelle admitted that had his team lost the third-place match, he might have considered retiring from coaching. Speaking to Canal+, he stated: "On a personal level, I don't know if I should talk about this now or not, but I will. If we hadn't secured third place, it might have been difficult for me to continue as a coach."

He added: "I went through my first Africa Cup of Nations with the Mali national team, and we were the best team playing football, then we were eliminated from the quarter-finals. Now, in this edition, we were the best team in terms of play and philosophy, and then you face failure... I think it would have been difficult for me to continue. Yes, I might have stopped coaching. What would I do if I stopped? Perhaps I would work in development, or as a technical director with a specific national team."

Becoming emotional, he then remarked: "The players gave me this wonderful gift (he became emotional and paused for a moment), I am happy. I promised my father and mother that I would return with the Africa Cup of Nations title. I tell them: Father and Mother, I apologize, I only returned with third place, and this is a good thing for me."

It is worth noting that Nigeria defeated Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shootout, following a goalless draw (0-0) in regular time.