Pinnick says Keshi must accept NFF terms

Stephen Keshi

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation Amaju Pinnick has said that out-of-contract Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi must be ready to work with the fresh terms of the federation were he to keep his job.

The future of Keshi as the coach of the Super Eagles is still very unclear as his contract has not been renewed since it lapsed with the World Cup in Brazil last July. The Eagles regrouped in Abuja on Tuesday for two international friendlies against Cote d’Ivoire and Sudan in Dubai with assistant coach Daniel Amokachi taking charge in place of the embattled Keshi who is holidaying in the USA with his family.

“We have given him conditions and some of those conditions is for him to be ready to work with a technical performance team,” Pinnick said on a Channels television interview on Tuesday night.

“It’s not just easy to say you discard him and you bring someone else even though people say a coach is as good as his last game.”

The new NFF board led by Pinnick upon assumption of office in October asked Keshi to leave the team. The decision was however short lived as President Goodluck Jonathan ordered his return to the team against the wish of the federation.

The change in position of the NFF is seen a drive to please the government against the popular demand of Nigerians. The PUNCH has learnt that the decision to work with Keshi has left the federation divided as while a few of the members feel keeping the coach would grant them favours from top Federal Government officials, others have kicked bitterly against the move asking the members to be professional and yielded to the demand of experts.

Several retired players and coaches who are seen as friends of Keshi have spoken against his continued stay with the Eagles despite the failure of the team to qualify for the 2015 Africa Nations Cup. Samson Siasia who took over midway into the 2012 qualifiers was sacked by the NFF immediately Nigeria failed to qualify.

Former Eagles coach Shaibu Amodu, who first pleaded for the NFF to keep Keshi for the remaining games of the 2015 Afcon run after he was first sacked, has called on Keshi to move on. Adegboye Onigbinde and Christian Chukwu who have also managed the national team have demanded that he quits the team just as a former coach of The Gambia Kashimawo Laloko said a about a fortnight ago. On Tuesday a former coach of the Super Falcons Ismaila Mabo advised the embattled coach to move on and avoid embarrassment