Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has appointed Bright Ozebagbe and Deniran Ortega as his assistants with the Nigerian Olympic Team, known as the Olympic Eagles.
The appointments were announced on Tuesday by Kola Daniel, Special Assistant on Media to the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC).
Chelle, who also oversees the Olympic Eagles, said Ozebagbe and Ortega were among Nigeria’s brightest young coaches and had impressive profiles. He added that he was pleased to have the opportunity to work with both men.
The pair will join Chelle as Nigeria prepares for its qualification campaign for the Olympic Games. The team is expected to begin camping in Abuja soon, with the qualifiers scheduled for November 2026.
Ozebagbe is currently the technical adviser of Nigerian Premier League club Ikorodu City. The club narrowly missed out on a continental place on the final day of last season.
Ortega is a UEFA-licensed coach who was trained by the Scottish Football Association. He is also part of the coaching staff of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, the country’s men’s under-20 side.
Chelle has already presented his plans and preparations for the Olympic qualification campaign to the leadership of the NSC. The commission is responsible for supervising Nigeria’s Olympic football teams, both male and female.
The NSC is aiming not only to secure qualification for Nigeria’s football teams but also to see the country achieve a podium finish in Los Angeles.
The Olympic Eagles will therefore begin their preparations under a coaching structure that combines Chelle’s leadership with the experience of two young Nigerian coaches working in domestic and international development football.
Ozebagbe’s appointment follows his work with Ikorodu City, who came close to earning a continental ticket last season, while Ortega brings experience from the Flying Eagles and his coaching education under the Scottish Football Association.
The Nigerian Olympic team’s qualification schedule is due to begin in November 2026, and the planned Abuja camp will be the first stage of the preparations outlined by Chelle to the NSC leadership.
Nigeria’s men’s and women’s Olympic teams remain under the commission’s supervision as the country targets a strong showing at the Games in Los Angeles. The NSC’s stated ambition is to qualify both teams’ football programmes where possible and secure a place on the podium.
A related report has also examined whether Nigeria can sustain Chelle’s monthly salary of $100,000.
The story was written by James Agberebi, a sports content creator and analyst who has covered international matches involving both Nigeria’s men’s and women’s national teams.