By Mark Baber
April 24 – The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has finally reappointed Stephen Keshi as manager of the national team for the third time, bowing to the wishes of Nigeria’s out-going President Goodluck Jonathan, in a ceremony at which NFF President Amaju Pinnick was conspicuous by his absence.
The contract Keshi has signed, after failing in his efforts to find a role with another team, reportedly requires him to work under the supervision of the NFF Technical Committee and includes targets, which he needs to meet if he is to retain his job. Keshi, however, declared he was happy with the contract, saying: “Everything is alright, the contract is good.”
Although the NFF President has been open about his reluctance to reappoint Keshi, the delay in organising the signing has been explained by the turmoil in the NFF leadership, with the head of NFF’s technical committee Felix Anyansi-Agwu saying: “The NFF board is confident Stephen Keshi can take the Super Eagles to new heights.
“We want Nigerians to see this as a new beginning and to support the team and the NFF.”
Keshi, took Nigeria to victory in the 2013 African Cup of Nations, but has faced widespread criticism as Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2015 edition. He called for the nation to rally around the national team saying, “It’s a fresh start. We need the support of our fans, media and every Nigerian to return the team to where we truly belong.”
“As a coach and former player I was also hurt that we failed to qualify for the last Nations Cup.
“I remain confident that this time around we will see an improvement, change in attitude and positive results”
Meanwhile, Pinnick is apparently in London, reportedly trying to persuade Nike to step up to provide the national team with much needed kit, after Adidas opted to end their sponsorship, probably not least due to the chaos in football administration in the country and the possible fall-out from the campaign to drive homosexuals out of Nigerian football led by Nigeria’s Deputy Head of the NFF Committee of Ethics and Fair Play, Dilichukwu Onyedinma.
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