Keshi says NFF offered him “slave contract”

COACH Stephen Keshi has said a new deal offered him by Nigeria amounted to a “slave contract”.

A debate has raged whether 52-year-old Keshi should be given a new contract after he failed to qualify the Super Eagles for the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.

His initial contract of three years ran out after last year’s World Cup in Brazil, where Nigeria reached the last 16 knockout stages.

After a long wait, Keshi, who triumphed with Nigeria at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, said he had received his new contract from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), but had been far from impressed with what was on offer.

“From the clauses I have seen so far, I don’t know what words to use but the contract can be described as a ‘slave contract’”, he said, probably in reference to clauses which make him answerable to several persons and committees.

It was learnt that Keshi has now been offered a two-year contract effective from March 1, 2015 with him to meet several targets or else the deal was off.

He is also required to sign a code of conduct.

Keshi himself revealed that he will be paid five million Naira (less than $25,000), which was what he also received during his initial contract.

This week, the former Togo and Mali coach lost out to Franco-German Gernot Rohr in the race to handle Burkina Faso.

In March, Nigeria are billed to play two friendly matches against Bolivia and Ghana.