Nigeria’s Olympic football ambitions have taken a step forward as Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, moves to strengthen his backroom staff by naming two assistant coaches to work alongside him with the U-23 team.

Bright Osehai Ozebagbe, who currently serves as technical adviser at Ikorodu City, has been brought in as part of the new setup, joined by Deniran Ortega, widely regarded as one of the country’s most promising young coaching talents.

Ortega holds a UEFA coaching license, having trained under the Scottish Football Association, and already has experience within the national team structure, currently serving as an assistant coach with the Flying Eagles.

The appointments come as the Olympic Eagles prepare to begin camp in Abuja, with the team gearing up for a crucial qualifying campaign as they chase a spot at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

It would mark a significant achievement for Nigerian football, given the country hasn’t featured in the men’s Olympic football tournament since their last appearance back in 2016.

As part of their qualification journey, the Olympic Eagles are set to face either Mauritania or the Democratic Republic of Congo in a second-round qualifying tie scheduled for November, a fixture that could go a long way in determining whether Nigeria ends its long wait to return to the Olympic stage.

With Chelle now assembling a technical team he trusts around him, attention will turn to how quickly the new coaching staff can gel with the players as preparations intensify ahead of the qualifiers.