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The Nigeria Football Federation has wielded the big stick on October 16, relieving Stephen Keshi, Coach of Super Eagles, of his job because of his many sins
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Oct. 27, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT |
DESPITE winning against Sudan in Abuja, on Wednesday, October 15, for the 2015 African Cup of Nations, Afcon, qualifying matches to be held in Morocco, Stephen Keshi, was relieved of his job as the coach of the Super Eagles along with his crew. The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, announced the sacking of Keshi as coach of the Super Eagles early on Thursday, October 16.
The NFF decision was reached following an executive committee meeting held in Abuja. In a communiqué signed by Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, the NFF commended Keshi and his assistants for their achievements in the past three years. “We praise their glorious accomplishments to the senior national team in the past three years and hailed Stephen Keshi, Daniel Amokachi and Ike Shorounmu as true national heroes. However, in the interest of Nigeria football and the desire to ensure qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals, the committee decided to relieve them of their duties with immediate effect.
“The committee has therefore unanimously approved the appointment of a consortium of coaches to lead the Super Eagles for the two concluding matches of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series (against Congo in Brazzaville and against South Africa in Uyo), after which an expatriate Coach will be appointed. The consortium, led by Amodu Shaibu, also has Salisu Yusuf, Gbenga Ogunbote and Aloysius Agu as members. The team also has a new coordinator in Garba Lawal, former international, while Toyin Ibitoye was appointed as the new media officer. Godfirst Chike also took over as the new equipment manager and Enebi Achor, was retained as team secretary,” the communiqué said.
However, in recognition of his administration’s contribution to Nigerian football, the NFF approved that Keshi and his assistants could proceed to any coaching course of their choice in any country to build their capacity, at the expense of the NFF. “All their entitlements will be paid within the next fortnight,” the communiqué added.
Amaju Pinnick, NFF president, confirmed on the African Independent Television, AIT, Kakaki programme, that the board has decided not to continue working with Keshi. He said before going into the NFF technical meeting that they didn’t have it in mind to sack Keshi, but after analysing intelligence reports at their disposal, the board decided to discontinue with the coach. According to him, whatever Keshi has done wrong, Nigerians must accord him that respect at any time as the only second player and coach to have won the Nations Cup. But his management of the team has started dwindling and to respect his pedigree we have to relive him of his job.
“In football you don’t have to be sentimental, mostly at this point in time. People should understand that at any point in time we should know when to approach issues, as human beings we should understand what diminishing return is. And that we should get to a stage in live when everything we do seems not to be right. Keshi has gone to this stage. We are not saying he is not a good coach and that is why we said he should go any country of his choice for his refreshers course,” he said.
Despite the reasons NFF gave for sacking him, other factors may have hastened the football body’s action. One of Keshi’s many sins pertains to his desire to exert his authority as the head coach of the Eagles without due recourse to other peoples’ opinion. Keshi was the supposed messiah and he actually started work as such when he invited almost all the Eagles’ players in order to measure how good they were and those that would fit-in with his strategy. Nigerians praised this bold move and he even endeared himself more to those that gave him the job when he said he would raise a formidable home-based team and that these players would fight for shirts on level terms with those abroad. He later digressed and just like those before him, the foreign professionals warmed their ways into his heart while leaving the domestic players in the lurch.
There were also concerns in the NFF that Keshi would not listen to advice from the technical committee on who to call up and what tactics to play since he won the Afcon in South Africa. His big headedness was only going to end one way – sack.
Another sin of Keshi was his penchant for calling players that were of no relevance to the national team. His sticking to these players proved to be a worthy venture, in some cases, but this ensured lack of competition for shirts which became the order of the day. Keshi allegedly picked avoidable quarrels with some of his best legs and called up those that were not up to scratch as their replacements.
Keshi has also received a lot of criticism in recent times for the poor performance of the Super Eagles at the on-going Nations Cup qualifiers beginning from September when the team lost 3-2 to Congo at home before picking one point in a draw against South Africa in Cape Town. A further defeat in Khartoum to Sudan made his tenure look like coming to an inglorious end after a fairy tale year where he led the Super Eagles to victory at the 2013 Afcon in South Africa.
Nonetheless, sports analysts in the country have criticised the NFF for the sack of Keshi at this stage of the qualifying series. Tony Nezianya, deputy editor-in-chief/head of sports, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, said the sacking of Keshi was not appropriate at this stage of the qualifications. He suggested that the NFF would have allowed him to complete the qualifying series before sacking him. “It is ridiculous that they have taken that decision at this stage of our qualification process. I don’t think it is a good strategy when we have some crucial matches to play. I think the only thing they needed is to change tactics which was what paid-off at the last match against Sudan,” he said.
Keshi led Nigeria to their third African title in 2013 in South Africa and became the second person to win the trophy as a player and as a coach. He was in charge of the Super Eagles to the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup both held in Brazil. The Big Boss as Keshi is called also secured the Eagles’ first victory at the World Cup since France 1998 and it was during his reign that Nigeria picked a ticket to the second round of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after 16 years.
He also supervised the home based Super Eagles to a bronze medal in their maiden appearance at the 2014 African Nations Championship, CHAN, held in South Africa. It was a competition meant for players who ply their trade in their domestic leagues. He led the home based team to qualify for the competition also after the country had failed to pick a ticket for the past two editions.
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