13th February, 2014
Most Nigerians were shocked when it became apparent that the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has been nusring the desire to hire a foreigner to assist Super Eagles chief coach, Stephen Keshi, ahead of the country’s participation in 2014 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in June.
Spokesman of the NFF Technical Committee, Paul Bassey, confirmed the report when he revealed that the committee met with Keshi after the African Nations Championship, CHAN, in South Africa and proposed to hire a foreigner to assist him. The proposal was turned down by Keshi.
NFF is convinced that Keshi “needs help” from an expatriate to ensure the Eagles are adequately prepared for the World Cup.
The quest for a technical assistant has not gone down well with many Nigerians among who are former chairman of the NFF, Ibrahim Galadima, and human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo. The plan also rankled many football lovers in the country who have been following the Super Eagles since Keshi took charge of the team two years ago. We believe that the plan is the equivalent of a no confidence vote on Keshi’s capability. And with four months to the World Cup, hiring an assistant that may have a different philosophy of the game to Keshi’s is an invitation to trouble. Keshi’s records are sterling enough. He won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa and oversaw qualification for the World Cup.
The home-based Super Eagles, as the Team B are called, won bronze at their first participation in CHAN. This credit also goes to Keshi.
With Keshi’s records, it is surprising that the NFF is asking to wring changes in the technical crew a few months to the World Cup. The same excuses given by the proponents of foreign technical assistant for Keshi were the same arguments canvassed to oust Shuaib Amodu when he qualified Nigeria for the Korea/Japan World Cup in 2002 and South Africa 2010. Amodu ended up being replaced by Coach Adegboye Onigbinde and Lars Lagerback in both instances.
We also believe that hiring a foreign technical assistant at this period will be a distraction to Keshi who should have his mind set on his programme for the World Cup. What Keshi needs now is an enabling environment and encouragement from the NFF and not any action that will scupper his World Cup plans, and adversely affect his morale and that of his players or kill their patriotic spirit.