NFF May Dump Amokachi, Plans New Assistant Coach For Keshi

•Super Eagles’ assistant coach,  Daniel Amokachi

•Super Eagles' assistant coach, Daniel Amokachi

There are strong indications that the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has concluded plans to do away with the service of Daniel Amokachi as assistant coach of the country’s senior national team, the Super Eagles.

Feelers from the Glass House in Abuja have it that a new assistant coach would be appointed for the returnee Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi whose contract is set to be renewed on Friday by the board of the NFF.

Though the management of the football body has not officially made it public the fate of Amokachi who has been handling the Eagles in the last few months, indications are that a new man, Salisu Yusuf, who is the Technical Adviser of Elkanemi Warriors of Maiduguri and former coach of Enyimba FC and Kano Pillars is set to take over from Amokachi, who has been Keshi’s first assistant since November 2011. The last duty of Amokachi with the Eagles was the international friendly game against South Africa at Nelspruit which ended 1-1 draw last month.

•Super Eagles' assistant coach,  Daniel Amokachi
•Super Eagles’ assistant coach, Daniel Amokachi

However, the new contract which Keshi is expected to sign on Friday would afford him the opportunity of choosing for himself an assistant coach apart from the one that the NFF will appoint.

Yusuf assisted Samson Siasia at both the Flying Eagles and Super Eagles. He had also coached Lobi Stars, won the Nigerian league with Kano Pillars and the Federation Cup with Enyimba before he moved to Nasarawa United and currently with El Kanemi Warriors.

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Meanwhile, the delay in appointing a new chief coach for the Eagles has been a source of worry to former chairman of the NFF, Ibrahim Galadima, who urged the federation to expedite action on hiring a coach for the Eagles now.

Galadima warned that delay is very dangerous and that the NFF no longer has the time to dilly-dally.

“It is really important to decide whether we need him (Keshi) or not because time is not on our side and I’m sure the authorities know better because the federation is in a position to take a decision.“I think Keshi also has a responsibility to himself to decide whether he wants the job or not, if he feels he’s not satisfied with the terms and the offer made, he’s free to move on so that the NFF can decide on hiring someone else.

“Of course sitting down without taking a decision will not help us in any way, so I don’t want us to wait till it’s too late and start apportioning blame, pointing fingers; that will not help us because by then the damage would have been done,” Galadima said.

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