{"id":95951,"date":"2026-01-05T17:18:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T17:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tv.guardian.ng\/?p=95951"},"modified":"2026-01-05T18:55:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:55:17","slug":"nigeria-vs-mozambique-eric-chelle-in-row-with-journalists-ahead-of-crucial-knockout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guardian.ng\/tv\/nigeria-vs-mozambique-eric-chelle-in-row-with-journalists-ahead-of-crucial-knockout\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria vs Mozambique: Eric Chelle in row with journalists ahead of crucial knockout"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"dailymotion-player\"><script src=\"https:\/\/geo.dailymotion.com\/player\/x1ee8e.js\" data-video=\"x9x4o70\"><\/script><\/div><br><br><p>\nAs the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco enters the high-stakes knockout phase, controversy has erupted around Nigeria&#8217;s Super Eagles camp.<\/p>\n<p>Head coach \u00c9ric Chelle imposed a strict media blackout on training sessions for three consecutive days leading up to the Round of 16 match against Mozambique.<\/p>\n<p>Journalists covering the tournament, many of whom traveled to Morocco at great personal expense, were barred from attending sessions or interviewing players.<\/p>\n<p>Some described the restrictions as unprofessional, highlighting limited access compared to more open teams like hosts Morocco and Senegal.<\/p>\n<p>But in Sunday&#8217;s pre-match press conference, Coach Chelle stood firm in his defense.<\/p>\n<p>He explained that AFCON rules permit only one open training session per week for media.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, out of respect for Nigerian journalists, he had generously allowed two during the group stage.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is not against you,&#8221; Chelle stressed. &#8220;This is to protect my players. I want them to stay focused.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He warned that fully opening sessions could invite criticism if results go wrong: &#8220;If we lose, you will say &#8216;Eric is crazy, he opens the door every time.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In a candid moment, the coach even joked about the intense pressure: &#8220;Everybody wants to kill me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Reactions have been divided.<\/p>\n<p>On social media, some journalists and content creators decried the move as excessive and harmful to coverage.<\/p>\n<p>Others backed Chelle, arguing that in the knockout stages, a coach&#8217;s priority must be team preparation and preventing tactical leaks \u2013 with official press conferences providing sufficient access.<\/p>\n<p>No reports suggest any physical confrontation; the debate has remained centered on access and explanations.<\/p>\n<p>The Super Eagles topped their group with maximum points and a flawless record, setting up today&#8217;s crucial Round of 16 tie against Mozambique.<\/p>\n<p>As the three-time champions aim to advance, this incident underscores the delicate balance between media relations and the relentless demands of tournament football.<\/p>\n<p>Will Chelle&#8217;s approach pay off on the pitch? As we&#8217;ve seen during the group stage? Well all eyes are on the Super Eagles as they continue their  quest in Morocco for a fourth title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco enters the high-stakes knockout phase, controversy has erupted around Nigeria&#8217;s Super Eagles camp. Head coach \u00c9ric Chelle imposed a strict media blackout on training sessions for three consecutive days leading up to the Round of 16 match against Mozambique. Journalists covering the tournament, many of whom [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gam_disable_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2022,37964],"tags":[39737,544,24945,1769,691],"class_list":["post-95951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gtv-exclusive","category-top-video","tag-eric-chelle","tag-journalists","tag-knockout","tag-mozambique","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nigeria vs Mozambique: Eric Chelle in row with journalists ahead of crucial knockout - GuardianTV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco enters the high-stakes knockout phase, controversy has erupted around Nigeria&#039;s Super Eagles camp.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/guardian.ng\/tv\/nigeria-vs-mozambique-eric-chelle-in-row-with-journalists-ahead-of-crucial-knockout\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nigeria vs Mozambique: Eric Chelle in row with journalists ahead of crucial knockout - 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