The Sports Minister has debunked reports circulating in the Nigerian media space of a planned meeting with the agent of former Mali coach Eric Chelle in Paris.

Senior Assistant to the Minister of Sports, Diana-Mary Tiku Nsan has debunked the reports as fake news.

Reacting to the widespread rumours on X, the minister's assistant wrote, "This is very false news"

This is very false news

— Diana-mary Tiku Nsan (@dianamarynsan) July 31, 2024

The 46-year-old Chelle has been rumoured as the preferred candidate to land the job as the next Super Eagles head coach.

Other reports have linked Belgium tactician Tom Saintfeit and Englishman Steve Mc Claren as candidates for the vacant role.

The Super Eagles head coach role became vacant following Finidi George's resignation after just two games in charge.

The former international stepped down following the NFF's decision to hire a foreign technical adviser for the team following Nigeria's disappointing result in the World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.

The Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium before losing 2-1 to Gernot Rohr's Republic of Benin in Abidjan.

These results have cast doubts on Nigeria's World Cup campaign, with the team managing just three points in four qualifying matches.