NFF, Keshi lock horns over backroom staff sacking

Stephen Keshi

Nigerian football may be sitting on a keg of gunpowder after the Nigerian Football Federation sacked nine of coach Stephen Keshi’s backroom staff, writes ’TANA AIYEJINA

Another battle between the Nigeria Football Federation and the Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, looks imminent after the country’s football body sacked the coach’s nine backroom staff last week.

The federation, which also reduced the salaries and allowances of the other national teams coaches and players, cited financial constraints as the reason for the sack of the officials.

Among those sacked were the two assistant coaches, Sylvanus Okpala and Valerie Houandinuou, the media officer of the team, Ben Alaiya, and the team psychologist, Robinson Okosun.

Also, NFF board member, Emeka Inyama, told the media last week that Keshi had a query to answer on Monday on his return from California, after the coach allegedly travelled out of the country without attending the meeting of the technical committee on Tuesday.

Inyama was quoted as saying,“Keshi has been recalled and he must be in Abuja on Monday if he still cares about his job.

“Keshi was formally invited to the Technical and Development Committee meeting (on Tuesday) to discuss, among other issues, the list of players he released for the matches ahead, his back room staff and misunderstanding between him and some of his players.

“But Keshi did not show up and the NFF doesn’t know why he did not show up. The fact remains that Keshi applied for leave to see his family and was not approved or confirmed and he travelled. The NFF wanted him to be part of all the discussions affecting his team before he would be allowed to proceed to the US for his holiday, but he chose to leave without permission.

“But he had the time to collect his cars from Globacom on Monday and jet out to the US less than 24 hours before the Technical Committee meeting on Tuesday. We shouldn’t condone what is bad. It will only take $120 to change his ticket from that Monday to the next day.”

One of the sacked officials, who pleaded anonymity, however said Keshi would not accept the decision of the federation.

“The decision taken by the NFF might consume Nigerian football in the next few weeks. It’s bitter but that is the truth. I know the coach very well, if he comes back, there’s going to be crisis. We may be fighting another war again because Keshi may not agree with the decision. You cannot remove Okpala and Valerie and you expect Keshi to be happy because those men are his backbone,” he said.

He added, “If we are not careful, things will get worse because it’s wrong to sack a winning team. It’s a decision that could destroy the future of our football.

“Manchester United’s backroom staff is up to 30, it’s on the Internet. So it is a shame to hear that a country that prides itself as the most populated and richest African country cannot pay its national team staff.

“It’s equally alarming that the federation gets N1.5b from the government; generates N1b on its own but spends N4.7b annually on its activities and the national teams.

“We are African champions and the federation has been fighting the coach because of money.

“The crisis is deeper than we think. Unless you are inside, you won’t know and the Federal Government must act fast to forestall a breakdown of peace because we have a sports minister, who is just folding his arms.”

The sacked official said the team was divided even before the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Kenya in Calabar.

He disclosed that because of lack of faith, the NFF did not make budget for the match allowances for officials and players in the final game of the AFCON, adding that it took a threat from Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi, before they paid the money.

“They have an agenda. Their anger was that we won the Nations Cup. Did they budget money for the final match against Burkina Faso?

“The money was paid in Calabar after Mikel said the players were not going to play against Kenya if the money wasn’t paid. They paid the money the evening before the game.”

 The official was bemused that the federation, which claimed it had no money, appointed ex-Eagles coach, Shuaibu Amodu, as the country’s footall technical director.

The NFF Technical Committee had last week interviewed coaches Amodu, James Peters and Kashimawo Laloko, for the technical director post while Fatai Amoo was interviewed for the U-23 team job.

“In one breathe, there is no money and in another, they are employing people. On what basis are they employing these people? They just brought them to scare Keshi. They did it to Amodu when they brought in (Adegboye) Onigbinde to take charge of the team after he (Amodu) qualified the team for the 2002 World Cup.”

Similarly, former Nigeria goalkeeper, Joe Erico, who was part of the coaching crew that helped qualify the country for the 2002 World Cup, said the present situation is a replay of events that took place 11 years ago, adding that clashes are a norm between national team coaches and the NFF.

“This is exactly what happened in 2002 but unfortunately, we have never learnt our lessons. I was a victim of that crisis and that put our football in the doldrums for a very long time,” Erico said.

“When I was in the national team, clashes were on a daily basis. The clash is not impending, it’s there already.

“In Nigeria, we don’t respect our products. Because the coach is not an expatriate, they will treat him anyhow. Why didn’t they treat (Berti) Vogts that way? The German collected all his money when he was leaving.

“I am ashamed that we are still behaving like this in the 21st century but that won’t stop our passion to serve our nation.”

In the same vein, former 3SC coach, Godfrey Esu, said the sacking of the nine backroom staff was a ploy by the NFF to get at Keshi.

“The target is Keshi, not those people sacked. We all know that if not for the intervention of the President and the Senate President, Keshi would have long left the team.

“They know that they can’t touch him, so they want him to get angry and resign because of those sacked. These people know that if Keshi remains, their jobs might be on the line.

“Keshi should also watch it because they may want the problem between him and Joseph Yobo, his captain to worsen so that they can capitalise on it as well,” Esu said.

Former Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, would rather sit on the fence on the issue.

He said, “My reactions are irrelevant because the NFF is in charge of Nigerian football and they must have thought it wise before making the decisions.

“I am not close to either parties and I don’t know the content of their agreement, so I am not in the right position to comment on the issue.”

Several attempts to reach the NFF President, Aminu Maigari, and the body’s spokesman, Ademola Olajire, proved abortive as both officials failed to pick calls put through to their GSM phones. They did not respond to text messages sent to their phones too.

Keshi and the NFF have been enmeshed in a power tussle since he led the Eagles to their third Nations Cup triumph in February, prompting him to resign initially.

Rather than abate, the problems keep rising between both parties and the latest molve to sack his backroom staff might be one battle too many for Nigerian football.