The unending intrigues in football administration in the country led to the sack of the senior national coach of the Super Eagles – Stephen Keshi – last week. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) terminated the two-year contract signed with the coach only last year on account of what it described as insubordination and “lack of the required commitment to achieve the Federation’s objectives as set out in his contract.”
Meanwhile, the NFF says it is in touch with former captain of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh, to replace Keshi. Its chairman, Mr. Amaju Pinnich, who signed the termination of Keshi’s contract, said talks with Oliseh have reached an advanced stage and he could be confirmed as the next coach of the senior national team, this week.
Keshi’s sack has brought to an end his fractious relationship with the authorities of NFF in the last two years. This is the second time in less than two years that Keshi has been relieved of his managerial post, and the fourth time he would be sacked in his coaching career, having been similarly fired by Togo and Mali in 2006 and 2010, respectively. Sadly for Keshi, all his misfortunes as a coach of the national teams of Togo, Mali and Nigeria were anchored on allegations that he did not meet targets set by his employers.
Before his sack last weekend, Keshi was queried by NFF for allegedly applying for a vacant coaching job for the national team of Cote d’Ivoire. Keen followers of football in Nigeria did not see his sack as a surprise as a result of his constant disagreements with NFF, which peaked last year when he failed to qualify the team for this year’s African Nations’ Cup held in Equatorial Guinea. His employers have also voiced out their disappointment over a string of poor results by the Super Eagles under his watch, especially in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the African Nations Cup qualifiers.
There is no doubt, however, that Keshi left remarkable footprints in Nigerian football. He was the first Nigerian, and second African, to have won the African Nations Cup as a player and coach. In 1994, he captained the Super Eagles when it lifted the Cup, even though he played few matches in that competition. He also coached the team to Nigeria’s third victory at the Nation’s Cup hosted by South Africa in 2013.
Besides, to his credit, he had the longest unbeaten streak as a coach of the senior national team. That streak, however, ended in last year’s FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil, when the Super Eagles lost 1-2 to Uruguay.
In spite of these accomplishments, Keshi is widely believed to be a victim of his own errors. He is regarded as having been blinded by his successes, leading to a seeming failure to respect constituted authorities.
Many Nigerians blame him for failure to quit as Super Eagles coach when the ovation for him was loudest.
After his success at the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, he reportedly “resigned”, only to change his mind a few days later. Even when it was clear that the newly constituted NFF was stoutly opposed to his stay as coach, he defiantly dug in, perhaps, with the support of top officials of the past government.
Now that the sun seems to have set on Keshi’s career as Super Eagles coach, (although he has petitioned the Court of Arbitration, at Laussane, Switzerland, on the manner of his sack), what is crucial is the way forward for the senior national team and the appointment of a competent coach with the necessary experience.
There is no doubt that football plays a vital role in the lives of millions of Nigerians. Its administration, therefore, deserves more attention and commitment than it is currently getting from those entrusted with it.
Coaching a national football team anywhere in the world requires necessary technical experience, which includes the ability to read matches as well as organise and control players to achieve outstanding performance. A coach must also be able to earn and retain the respect of his team.
Keshi’s successor must be someone with these qualities, and very importantly, a coach with a good track record that can give hope of success. The next coach of the Super Eagles should have a ravishing appetite for success and his competence should not be in doubt.
We urge NFF to be diligent in its search for a new national coach. It must set out its goals for the new coach, as well as boundaries and rules within which he must work. This is necessary to avoid the kind of run-ins that beset Keshi’s troubled tenures, and his eventual sack.
Nigeria should put its football house in order. The frequent changes in the coaching crew is adversely affecting the ranking of the country in global football. Currently, Nigeria has dropped to 57th in the latest FIFA ranking, the worst slip in as many years, no thanks to the woeful performances of the Super Eagles. Now is the time to get it right by building a solid foundation for our football with a reputable national coach who has the skills to achieve our goal of football glory for Nigeria.
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